It came in a cloak and fangs
by BenaddictedIntoDarkWithMerlock
Summary: A stranger comes to Camelot to sympathise with Arthur about Uther's death. But all is not as it seems as Merlin plays detective and picks up the clues Aeldred drops on his way. And suddenly, something becomes apparent to Merlin. And it involves fangs...
1. Rare peace

Chapter One

It was strange. It was strange not having Arthur ordering him round, telling him to go do some mindless chore that he had already completed around five times that day. But it was pleasant, just them sitting peacefully and silently together, getting on with their work in harmony. Merlin had been absently polishing the same piece of armour for about ten minutes, pondering this thought. He quickly moved on to another piece of metal and started buffing the already gleaming surface (from the time he had already polished it only a few hours before) into an even more shining silver. Arthur was sat across the room at his desk with his head leaning on his propped up arm with a dismal expression on his face. He was holding a collection of papers with tiny writing scribbled across them. With the newfound responsibility of ruling the Kingdom as King, came a great and tedious amount of paperwork. So there Merlin was, sat on the ground beside Arthur's bed, polishing armour, while Arthur was behind his desk sorting through endless piles of mind-numbing documents. But Merlin would be there for him all the way. Merlin knew he could do it. It was only natural for a young and untrained King to be a little bemused at first. But he would get through it, Merlin knew he would. And Merlin would be right there ready to serve, advise and protect him for the whole of his reign, no matter what happened. Merlin would always be there for him.

Suddenly, the harmony was broken by a hasty and urgent knock at the door. Arthur's head jerked up from staring absently down at the text and looked around for the source of the noise. The person who had knocked evidently didn't have the time or patience to wait for admittance as the door swung open before Arthur had had a chance to open his mouth. Sir Leon poked his head around the door and, checking that he wasn't interrupting anything important, stepped into the room.

"Sire, there is a visitor in the courtyard waiting for you. He says his father was a good friend of Uther and so has come to share his sympathy," Leon informed.

Arthur stood up immediately, discarding the papers on his desk. Seemingly thankful for anything else to do rather than sit there for any longer, he strode across the room to Leon.

"What did he say his name was?" Arthur asked.

"He didn't. He just said he wanted to speak to you," Leon answered.

Arthur frowned but followed Leon out of the room all the same. Merlin rolled his eyes and got up from his chore. He deposited his work in a corner of the room and hurriedly followed Arthur out of the room, jogging to catch him up along the corridor.


	2. Thanks a lot Arthur

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! Firstly, thanks soo much for reading! You have no idea how much it means to me that you're taking the time to read my random drabble! Well, at least I hope you don't think it is! And if you do, please let me know why you think that. It's not so I can have a go at you, I just looove constructive criticism! I dunno what it is about it, I just love it! Please review if you have nay to give me! But anyway, sorry, this chapter's pretty looong. But I hope you guys can be bothered to read it and let me know your feedback! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Two

Merlin had to admit, he was a little under whelmed to say the least. He had been expecting a large fleet of men from this mysterious kingdom. Instead, in front of him were three quite young looking men and a packhorse. The one in the middle had extremely dark brown straight hair that streaked across his face, partially covering his right eye. Merlin noticed that he had a very peculiar colour of eyes. Merlin wasn't sure but from where he was standing, it looked like he had pitch black iris's. He had the complexion of milk. The whiteness of his skin contrasted completely with his strange eye colour. It looked like he had never seen the sun. Merlin thought (and had been told) that he himself was unusually pale but he had nothing on this new visitor. He wore a long, black, hooded cloak that was fastened around his neck. Either side of him he had two what looked like extremely nervous servants. They must have been not much older than Merlin. The one on the right had curly light brown hair that ended just past his ears, green eyes and was almost as pale as his master, as was his companion. The one on the left had scruffy blond hair and light brown eyes. They both wore nothing less than a couple of simple, dirt streaked shirts and jackets. And just to add to their deprived state, they both looked completely terrified, whether it was due to the fact that the whole group of Knights were staring down at them or for some other reason… Although, despite their uneasy appearances, their master looked completely comfortable under the gaze of his company. Merlin didn't like this. He didn't like it at all. There was something unnerving about this new visitor. He got an unsettling sort of vibe from them. From him. A feeling that he couldn't fight off. Merlin glanced across at Arthur where he stood next to him. He looked a little puzzled but stepped forward to address the visitors all the same. But before Arthur could say anything, the visitor decided he would be the first one to speak.

"Arthur Pendragon, I and my companions have come to share our sympathy with you. My father was a great friend of Uther, and I also shared a bond with him. He was a great man. I hope, if you will allow us, we can stay with you to celebrate your father's memory." The visitor's voice was slick and menacing, like every word he said slipped off his tongue. Arthur raised his head a little, acknowledging him.

"I am extremely grateful but, if you don't mind me asking, who exactly was your father and, forgive me but…who exactly are you?" Arthur asked.

The visitor shook his head, smiling.

"Of course Sire, forgive me. I am King Aeldred Vallan of Rheged. My father was King Draenen; he passed away just recently, as did your own father. I remember your father well. I was only young when he used to visit Rheged, but I remember him and my father being good friends. He used to hold huge celebratory feasts in honour of Uther's visits. So now I have come to celebrate Uther's memory with you, if you would have us stay in this magnificent castle," Aeldred smiled. There was something Merlin didn't like about this man. His whole heir was unnerving and sent shivers along his veins. Something inside him was telling him that this man was not to be trusted. But then another part of him piped up. The part that supported and helped Arthur. _Don't worry about it. It's probably just because there's a new face in Camelot that your not used to. Don't start worrying Arthur about this. He'll finally have someone else in Camelot who really understands what he's going through. Aeldred even said that he was a friend of Camelot. The last thing he needs now is something else to worry about as well as running the kingdom. Just ignore your instincts. Arthur will be just fine. _

But Merlin couldn't ignore his instincts. He always went with his instincts. And they were mostly right. But Merlin didn't want to have a battle raging inside his head, so he decided to go neutral for now. He would support Arthur in whatever he chose to do but would still keep an eye on this Aeldred guy.

"You are welcome to stay in Camelot and we will make sure we give you the warmest of stays. Make sure their horses are well looked after," Arthur directed at a stable boy who was stood at the bottom of the steps. "If you will come with me, I will show you to your chambers," Arthur smiled at Aeldred. Aeldred dismounted, let the stable boy take the reins and followed Arthur into the castle. The two servants, who had also dismounted, scurried after their master, glancing from side to side at the Knights who watched them as they entered the castle. Merlin sighed exasperatedly and followed after them, taking the steps two at a time to catch up.

They made their way through the castle until they came to the corridor on which the guest chambers were. Arthur pointed at one of them and turned to Aeldred.

"Would this chamber be suitable for your servants?" He asked politely.

"I think so. Thank you, Sire," Aeldred said.

The two servants behind him scurried past him and opened the door to their new chambers. Just as the last one was reaching out to close the door behind him, Aeldred reached out and grabbed the servant's outstretched arm. He wrenched the curly haired boy back out into the corridor and glared at him, squeezing his wrist so the surrounding skin went white. "And where do you think you're going? How dare you take advantage of King Arthur's generous hospitality, boy! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't…"

"Um, Aeldred? Is it really necessary? I'm sure the boy didn't mean to be impolite. Please, let him go," Arthur stopped Aeldred, holding out his hand.

Aeldred's eyes flashed round to each of the surrounding people. Seeing that everyone was looking at him with both alarmed and slightly frightened expressions, he released his trembling servant and put on a weak smile.

"I am sorry Sire. I don't know what came over me," Aeldred hung his head and stepped away from the boy, although Merlin just spotted him shooting a hateful glance from under his dark hair at the servant. The servant shuddered and looked up to Arthur.

"Th-thank you S-Sire, f-for all y-you are d-doing for us. Th-th-thank you," he stammered fearfully.

Arthur nodded his head and watched concernedly as the servant hastily shut the chamber door behind him. Aeldred sheepishly followed Arthur to the next chamber door.

"And this will be your chamber, Aeldred, if it suits you," Arthur indicated the door and turned to him. Aeldred smiled thankfully and stepped forward.

"Thank you Sire. May I just say, I am once again sorry for what I said then. I was just…"

"Aeldred, do not worry. It is forgotten, I understand how you feel. Sometimes I feel like doing the same thing to Merlin," he laughed. Aeldred laughed along with him and nodded. "Which reminds me. I'm sure Merlin would be happy to be your manservant throughout your stay. If your need anything, just send for him and he will do whatever you require. I'm sure he'd be delighted to be at your disposal. He will bring up your belongings later." Arthur stressed just how much Merlin would be 'delighted' to be Aeldred's manservant. Merlin glared at Arthur over Aeldred's shoulder but instantly changed his frosty expression to a weak smile as Aeldred turned to put on an equally feeble smile. He turned back to Arthur and tilted his head.

"Thank you, Arthur. It is an honour to have the King's own manservant serving me. And thank you too Merlin." This was the first time Aeldred said Merlin's name, and Merlin didn't like it one bit. With his menacing tone, Merlin's name sounded threatening and intimidating. With yet another nod to both of them, Aeldred closed the door behind him. Merlin let out a long breath and rounded on Arthur.

"'Oh yes, Merlin would be delighted to be at your disposal'," Merlin imitated Arthur. Arthur smiled and shook his head at the ground, folding his arms.

"Well, wouldn't you?" He asked. Merlin couldn't help but smile. Merlin sighed and turned to begin heading off down the corridor.

"And where do you think you're going?" Arthur yelled down the passageway.

"Back to Gaius' chamber. I'm guessing you can get back to your own bed unassisted?" Merlin called back, without turning round.

"I might be able to but in case it's slipped your mind, you've got some belongings to bring up." Arthur yelled back. Merlin stopped in his tracks and sighed wearily. He could tell Arthur was smiling behind him. He turned reluctantly and walked back up the corridor.

"Of course Sire. How could I have forgotten?" He said through gritted teeth as he passed the Prince.

Merlin couldn't deny that he was a little nervous when knocking on Aeldred's door that evening. The way he had treated his other servants was enough to scare any boy who had just been assigned as the man's manservant. But he had to do what he had to do. Although Merlin was pretty sure that, if he was going to get a yelling at all, he was going to get more of a yelling at if he didn't bring his requested belongings. Merlin tried to balance the huge weight he was trying to keep steady on one arm as he knocked on Aeldred's door.

"Enter," came the slick voice of Aeldred. Merlin hastily unlatched the door with his free hand as the bundle of Aeldred's belongings slid slightly in his arms. He hurried inside and deposited the things by the side of a tall dresser. He straightened up and panted heavily, turning to look at Aeldred. He certainly wasn't the strongest person in the kingdom and he was pretty sure his body wasn't built for carrying stuff like that. The room was in complete darkness, apart from a lonely candle sitting on Aeldred's bedside table. Aeldred looked from Merlin to the bundle of his belongings lying at his feet.

"Thank you Merlin," there was his name again, intimidating as ever. "I think I will retire now and I'm guessing you will do the same," he said. Merlin nodded and turned to unlatch the door again.

"Goodnight Merlin," Aeldred said. Merlin could tell that Aeldred had been smirking as he said it. Merlin wasn't sure why but he wasn't if he wanted to know.

"Goodnight Sire."

Merlin sighed heavily as he came into Gaius' chamber after making his way back from Aeldred's chamber. Gaius had his nose buried in one out of his extensive collection of books. Merlin didn't usually like to disturb him but his instincts were pinching him to do so.

"I don't like that guy," Merlin said briefly as he walked across the room.

"'That guy'? Who's 'that guy'. And why ever not?" Gaius asked, without even looking up from the dog-eared pages.

"King Aeldred, I get a feeling when I'm around him, not mentioning the way he yelled at that poor servant," Merlin said as he stepped through the door to his room.

"Merlin. This isn't another one of your silly magical instincts again is it? Because if it is, they do more harm than…"

"It's not! And anyway, they don't do more harm than good! Remember all those times I've sensed Dark Magic and I've saved someone's life? But no, it's not a magical feeling this time. It's just a really strong feeling that Aeldred's not to be trusted," Merlin reasoned as he deposited his jacket at the end of his bed. Gaius continued not to look up from his thick book but still talked to Merlin while reading.

"Look, Merlin. I've learned in these past years that when you've got a bad feeling about someone, or that they're not to be trusted, or they're up to no good, I should just stay out the way because they usually just work themselves out. But please Merlin, don't get into trouble and be careful," Gaius warned. Merlin stuck his head through the doorway and sighed.

"OK Gaius, I promise to stay out of Aeldred's way. Oh, wait. I'm his manservant," he said sarcastically.

"Yes, yes…" the Physician answered absently, staring into the pages of his volume. Merlin rolled his eyes and gave up. He called a quick 'goodnight' and closed the door behind him, ready for a good night's sleep.


	3. A Rude Awakening

**Author's Note:** Hallo peeps! Hope you like this chapter, bit of rambling towards the end but hey ho! Hope you likey! Remember to review with loadsa CC (constructive criticism)!

Chapter Three

Knock, knock.

_What the hell was that?_

Knock, knock.

_He was trying to sleep here._

Knock, knock.

_Why couldn't someone shut that racket up? _

KNOCK, KNOCK.

_GO AWAY! _

Merlin? Merlin!

_Wait a minute. Who's that? _

Merlin, get up now!

_Oh no. Gaius. _

Merlin's eyes blinked wearily open. He sat up in his bed and reluctantly slid his feet out to tentatively touch the wood floor. He swung himself up out of the relatively warm covers and staggered sleepily over to the door. He unlatched the door and blinked out into the chamber ahead. Gaius' disapproving expression was enough to open his eyes completely.

"You'd better be getting along to King Aeldred's chambers, shouldn't you?" Gaius said raising his eyebrows.

"Oh um, well yeah," Merlin said.

"Well you'd better get a move on!" Gaius advised. Merlin nodded and shut the door again hurriedly. He grabbed a blue shirt and began to get dressed.

When Merlin was ready, he pulled his scarlet scarf round his neck and hurried out of his bedroom door. He rushed through Gaius' chambers, Gaius still looking at him with a disapproving look but not saying anything, and dashed through the other door out into the corridor. He hastily made his way through the castle until he reached the kitchens. He rushed through the loud, steamy, crowded room until he reached the shelf were all the royal meals were placed, ready for servants like himself to carry across the castle to their recipients. He searched through the various breakfasts until he came to the one that had the heading engraved in the metal above saying 'Visitors'. He took the plate and wound his way through the room, dodging a large woman, who seemed to be the head chef, yelling across the room at a maid. He carried on sidestepping through the various busy cooks until he reached the door. He dashed through the castle, swerving round corners and rushing down passageways until he finally arrived at Aeldred's door.

He knocked hesitantly on the hard wood and waited for a reply.

"Enter."

Merlin pushed open the door and slipped through, carrying the plate through and shutting the door silently behind him. Aeldred was fully dressed (again wearing his long, black, hooded cloak) and looked round at Merlin as he entered. Aeldred's eyes lowered to the platter of food he was carrying. "Oh, um, Merlin. Thank you but I don't think I will be having breakfast this morning. Take it back to the kitchen and then you can leave me for the rest of the day," he said, turning to the window.

Merlin frowned.

"Are you sure? You don't…"

"Yes Merlin," he interrupted curtly, "I am sure."

"And you're sure you won't require anything for the rest of the day? Surely you'll be wanting some lunch…"

"No Merlin. I will send for you if I need anything. I will be fine, now leave me!" His voice rose considerably at the end of his demand.

Merlin hurriedly bowed and rushed out of the room, not wanting to stay in the presence of Aeldred any longer. Once he was safely out of the room, Merlin looked down at the rejected slices of ham, pieces of fruit, cheese and bread on the plate in his hands. It seemed a terrible waste to just throw it away…

"Come on then, rise and shine!" Merlin trilled as he drew the curtains in yet another King's chamber. There came the usual groan from Arthur and a rustle of covers as he rolled over, trying to get away from the morning light that streamed in through the window. Merlin sighed and looked down at Aeldred's food that he had 'recycled' as he liked to call it. At seeing Arthur still lying there, Merlin rolled his eyes, came round to the side of Arthur's bed and threw off the covers. He quickly ducked the goblet that was lobbed at him from the irritable King and dodged a pillow that Arthur hurled at him. Although he wasn't happy about it, Arthur got up and stretched. Merlin went about making his bed as Arthur wandered over to sift through his wardrobe. He pulled out his red shirt and pulled it over his head. He then turned and eyed up the plate of food that was patiently waiting on the table. Arthur began picking bits of cheese and biting hungrily into an apple. Merlin continued with his work as normal, shaking the sheets to air them out then gently lying them back into a neat position and placing the runner at the end of the bed. He plumped up the pillows and put them in the usual places. When the bed looked respectable, Merlin turned back to Arthur who was still picking various titbits from the plate, which was now considerably emptier. But then Arthur paused, seemingly looking at something attached to the underneath of the rim. Arthur then put down the apple he was about to bite into and looked up questionably at Merlin.

"Merlin, could you just answer me something?" The King said in a tolerable tone. Merlin quickly busied himself with tidying up the armour that he had left in the corner of the room yesterday, not wanting to have to look the King in the eye. "Why does my breakfast have a piece of paper stuck to the bottom of it saying 'King Aeldred'?" Arthur raised his eyebrows as he looked at Merlin. Merlin suddenly remembered that there were more than one visitors in Camelot (Aeldred's servants) so they would need to label the plates to indicate which one was to go too which room. How could he forget something like that? Merlin tried not to look up at Arthur but in the end, he found he would have to.

"I-I don't know Sire. Are you sure that…"

"Yes, I am very sure. Merlin, are you quite sure that you went down to the kitchens and got the plate off of _my _shelf?" Interrupted Arthur.

"Yes, well… no. It _was _King Aeldred's but not anymore, now it's yours. I mean he didn't want it so just think of it as a sort of… recycling," Merlin smiled.

"Merlin? Do you think you could outrun a projectile apple?" Arthur asked curiously.

Merlin frowned. A projectile apple?

"What? A projectile… Oh," Merlin realised mid-sentence what Arthur meant and sure enough he began to raise the apple he was holding above his head. Merlin leapt to the left as it came hurtling towards him, only just missing him.

"I want you to take this back to the kitchens and bring me back _my _breakfast." Arthur said patiently.

"But what if I bring back Morgana's instead by accident. I think you're going to have to make do with that one Sire. I think it would be too risky if I…"

"Now, Merlin!" Arthur yelled at the sarcastic servant.

Realising that his joke had not been well received, as always, Merlin took the half-eaten breakfast in his arms and hurried out of the room before Arthur had another chance to chuck a piece of food at his head.

Once Merlin had returned to the kitchens, swapped Aeldred's food for Arthur's and brought it back up to Arthur's room, he had been assigned yet more chores that would keep him busy at least up until that evening. Although, this wasn't all bad as, while he was mucking out the stables, Merlin had some time to mull over Aeldred's strange behaviour. There was the way his servants looked constantly terrified of their master, the way he had yelled at one of them, the way he smirked in that unsettling way, the way he had rejected his food, the way he told Merlin not to visit him during the day (which he seemed very stern about), his whole appearance and, of course, the unnerving feeling that Merlin always experienced whenever he was near him. They all seemed highly suspicious, especially in Merlin's eyes. Despite this, he couldn't help thinking that he might be being a little hasty judging Aeldred so quickly. He had only stayed in the castle for one night anyway. No, he would have to wait a little while before he jumped to conclusions. Although, Merlin would be sure to keep a close eye on Aeldred.


	4. Suspicions Arisen

**Author's Note:** OK, when I was making this Fic, I think I made it a bit too easy for you guys to work out. I should have known you were all such intelligent people! But anyway, I think most of you guys have already figured out what's going on. But if you haven't, please just keep reading. I think this chapter will shed some light on what's been going on. There is a huge hint that is about the size of Gaius' book collection in here so you won't really have to be too eagle-eyed. But anyway, I hope you like! And if you do, or even if you don't, please review and let me know why!

Chapter Four

"Enter." Merlin pushed Aeldred's door open and popped his head round it. He knew he was taking a large risk doing this as Aeldred had been so insistent that he didn't return to his chambers that day. Although Merlin had prepared himself if Aeldred began to get annoyed by his presence.

"What are you doing here?" Aeldred asked irritably as he turned round to see Merlin's face poking through the doorway.

"Just though I'd check in on you. I've finished all of Arthur's chores and he's still training with the Knights so I thought I should make sure you had everything you needed. I mean, you haven't been out all day," Merlin reasoned, stepping into ambitiously into the room.

"Well, I'm fine. Now have some time off then if you have no work to do," Aeldred tried to say politely but failed rather badly.

"No, no. It's fine. I've got nothing better to do. I'll just tidy up a bit. You won't even notice I'm here," Merlin assured him.

Merlin walked across the room to pick up Aeldred's black cloak that he had draped over the back of a chair. Merlin reached out to pick it up by the clasp but drew his hand back as soon as he had touched the metal. He took a sharp breath in as a stabbing pain shot through his finger.

"Agh, that clasp on that cloak of yours is sharp," Merlin muttered, examining his finger. There was a tiny bead of blood leaking from the small wound. Merlin dismissed it and went to carry on with what he was doing. He picked up the cloak by the rippling material instead of the slightly bloodstained clasp.

"No." Merlin frowned and looked round for the source of the choked sound. Aeldred was standing there with his hand pressed over his nose and mouth, staring at Merlin's hand.

"I'm sorry, what?" Merlin asked, frowning bewilderedly at Aeldred.

"Leave me. Get out of this room! Now!" He yelled, although the volume was muffled by his hand.

"Are you sure? I should…"

"Now, boy!" He yelled again.

Merlin dropped the cloak and hurried across the room. As he left he glanced back over his shoulder. Aeldred still had his hand pressed up against his nose but was now staring at the cloak that Merlin had discarded on the chair. Merlin closed the door behind him and thought to himself '_what just happened?'_. As he went to walk off down the corridor, he spotted a metal grate at the top of the wall, providing a good spying station for Merlin. He just couldn't resist it. Merlin glanced up and down the corridor. It was empty. Merlin spotted a nearby barrel lurking in one of the crevices in the stone wall. He hauled it out, although careful not to make too much noise. Merlin hurriedly positioned it under the grill and climbed up onto it. He peered through the metal bars and his eyes found Aeldred. He was walking quickly across the room towards the cloak, hand now removed from his nose and mouth, but was still staring at the material. When he reached it he took it up in his hands and buried his nose in the material, taking in deep, shaking breaths. Merlin frowned, staring bewilderedly at the man. _What on earth is he doing? _Merlin then saw Aeldred take the clasp in his fingers and breath in heavily over the drops of blood Merlin had left on the metal. Merlin frowned even more but before he could watch to see what Aeldred would do next, he heard approaching footsteps from around the corner. Merlin quickly drew back from the grill and leapt silently off the barrel he quickly shuffled it into place just as a couple of guards came around the corner. Merlin straightened up and walked quickly past them, hoping they hadn't seen him fiddling around. As he turned around the corner, Merlin breathed out a slow, relieved breath. There would certainly be a lot to tell Gaius about that night.

Once Merlin had tended to Arthur and made sure he was OK for the night, Merlin was finally able to return to Gaius' chambers.

"There is no way you can try to persuade me that there isn't anything strange about Aeldred," Merlin said as he opened Gaius' door.

"I wasn't going to. In fact, I agree with you," Gaius said quietly.

"I have just seen him… Wait, what?" Merlin stopped mid-sentence.

"I agree with you, there is something odd about him," Gaius said simply.

"Why? What made you think that?" Merlin asked.

Gaius indicated his bench and sat down on one of the chairs. Merlin did the same on the other side.

"After you left this morning, what you said the night before got me thinking. For all the time I've been in Camelot, I have never heard of Uther being close friends with anyone called King Draenen, let alone him leaving Camelot to visit him. I have only heard of a place called Rheged once, it is on the outskirts of Caerleon. But anyway, I went down to the Hall of Records to do some digging. When I got there I found Geoffrey was already searching through the books. He has been in Camelot for as long as I have and I he told me he had noticed the same thing as I. He didn't recall Uther travelling anywhere to visit anyone called Draenen either. So we searched what must have been every one of the books containing the Ancient Families of Britain, but we found no trace of Aeldred's family, no trace but one. There was one mention of the Vallan family in one of the books. It said that they are one of the oldest families of Britain, although there was no mention of the Vallan family being a close ally of Camelot, in fact, it said quite the opposite. The families are said to be mortal enemies for some unknown reason that goes back for centuries. The two families have hated each other for all of that time, but very few people know why as both of them very rarely speak about it. And anyway, everyone has stopped worrying about it now, it is just a fact that no one wonders about anymore, that it is very unlikely that these two families will ever be allies. But our friend Aeldred seems to think differently," Gaius explained suspiciously.

"But couldn't he be trying to solve the disagreement by being here?" Merlin reasoned.

"No, the dispute goes deeper than that. This whole thing has been going on for centuries remember, it seems that even the Pendragons have forgotten about it as Arthur hasn't turned a hair at Aeldred's presence," Gaius said.

"Aeldred's up to something. And I'm going to find out what," Merlin stood up purposefully and turned towards the door.

"Merlin, it's the middle of the night," Gaius pointed out.

"Oh, yeah. I'm going to find out… tomorrow," Merlin corrected and sat back down again.

Gaius smiled and shook his head.

"Come on then, you'd better get to bed. You're going to need to have an early start tomorrow if you're going to get all the answers," Gaius advised.

Merlin grinned and nodded. He got up from the bench and headed towards his bedroom door.

"Night Gaius."

"Goodnight Merlin."


	5. Detective Merlin

**Author's Note:** :O Big clues in this chapter and more to come in the following ones! I think I'm going to start making my chapters longer so you guys can read more of my storyy! So hope you like this chapter and don't forget to review!

Chapter Five

"So Aeldred didn't eat anything yesterday?" Arthur asked for the second time.

"Nope, didn't leave his room all day either," Merlin replied, fluffing up Arthur's pillows. He had decided to come to Arthur's chambers first. He wanted to let Aeldred's temper boil down a little after yesterday's events. He had also decided that he would serve Aeldred breakfast first and then revisit him later in the day for answers. Merlin figured it wouldn't help his cause if he approached Aeldred wanting answers after, the night before, he had yelled at him and ordered him out of the room.

"Really? Wonder why. There must be something wrong. Make sure you find out what it is Merlin."

"Oh, I intend to," Merlin murmured.

"I want Aeldred to have the most comfortable of stays," Arthur said. "Right, well go on then, you'd better be going to see him then if you haven't already. Oh, and make sure you come back here when you're finished with him, I've got a list of chores for you to be getting on with," Arthur waved his hand as an indication Merlin was dismissed.

"Of course, Sire," Merlin said frostily. He nodded his head in a small bow and strode out of the door.

"Take it away, I don't feel like anything," Aeldred waved his hand in the direction of the plate in Merlin's hands. He hadn't made any attempt of an apology, in fact, if you hadn't known of yesterday's events, you wouldn't have known that anything was wrong. Aeldred was acting completely as normal, with the exception of Aeldred's voice being audibly icier every time he spoke to Merlin. Merlin nodded and headed back towards the door.

"Is there anything else you will be needing?" Merlin asked politely as he opened the door to leave.

"No. You will leave me for the rest of the day. I will not require anything and you will not disturb me. Clear?"

"Yes, Sire," Merlin bowed his head and left the room, on his way to the kitchen to take yet another untouched, royal breakfast back.

"Did he take his breakfast?" Arthur asked as Merlin entered his room.

"No, and he said he didn't want anything for the rest of the day. I'm going to go back to his room later, so I'll find out what's wrong with him then," Merlin told Arthur. He nodded and came across to Merlin.

"In the meantime, I've got plenty of chores to keep you busy until then," Arthur smiled. "These floors need scrubbing, my horses need mucking out, my armour needs cleaning, my clothes need washing, my swords need sharpening and my hunting dogs need feeding, I know how much those dogs love you."

"Well they've got a funny way of showing it," Merlin muttered under his breath. Merlin had often come back from the dog kennels with bites all over his arms and scratches covering his hands. Arthur must have heard his muttering as he slapped Merlin on the back and smiled at him.

"Don't worry Merlin, I'm sure you'll get through it."

Merlin rolled his eyes and went over to the cupboard to fetch the bucket and brush to start on the floor.

"Agh… Ow!… Why you little…" It was a good job that no one was in the kennels at that moment, because Merlin was pretty sure he would have got a good telling off if they had. Merlin scattered the last chicken bones and odd scraps of leftover meat in amongst the dogs to let them fight over them themselves. He took his chance to escape as they all swarmed for the food, slipping silently out of the enclosure and locking the door behind him. As the dogs realised their chew toy had disappeared, they all scrambled to the wire fence, barking and snarling towards him. Merlin smiled and waved his hand mockingly at the yelping hounds. He then turned back towards the castle. Now he had an equally feisty individual to handle.

Merlin worked his way through the castle until he came to the visitors' corridor. It was time to get answers. He quietly knocked on Aeldred's door and waited for an answer. Nothing. He knocked again, he was probably just a bit annoyed that someone was disturbing him went he had specifically asked for no visitors. But still, no normal 'enter' came. It wouldn't be any harm to take a look inside would it? Merlin was his servant after all, he went in Arthur's room without permission all the time. Merlin kept telling himself this as he took a couple of steps into the room. There was no one there. He took a couple more steps and noticed the bed. There was something strange about it. Merlin approached it silently and hesitantly. He frowned as he ran his fingers across the material. It was still cool and crisp, not like it had been slept in. Merlin frowned even more when he looked at the pillows. Each of them were readily plumped, not a crease in any of them. Merlin knew a lot about beds after making up Arthur's so much so he could easily tell if a bed had been slept in or not. This bed had certainly not been slept in. But if Aeldred wasn't sleeping in the bed, then where was he sleeping? But Merlin had no time to wonder about this as he heard brisk footsteps approaching fast from outside. Merlin certainly didn't want to be spotted snooping around the King's chamber, especially after he had insisted that Merlin was not to visit him for the rest of the day. He suddenly noticed the floor-length curtains that hung either side of the window overlooking the courtyard. He darted across the room and ducked behind the material just in time to see the chamber doors open and someone with a long, black, hooded cloak step into the room. It sounded like Aeldred had brought a couple of people with him as he waited a second as more footsteps entered the room before he closed the door after them.


	6. Just a matter of time

**Author's Note:** OK, I am prepared for admonishment… So, so, so sorry guys! I don't know what's happened to me lately. Suddenly I've had so much homework and I've just been picked for this show based on the Titanic and I've just started my drama LAMDA (it's this exam that you take in drama if you're wondering, which you're probably not) I am so sorry I haven't been updating! But I shall now! And hopefully this chapter will win you all back. Ah, wishful thinking… where would I be without it? But anyway, really sorry and hope you like this chapter! Sorry it's a bit on the short side, but I think we're really starting to get into the drama here! Hope you agree! Please review if you don't still hate me after reading! Thanks!

Chapter Six

"Alcwyn, take this will you, you useless cretin," Aeldred ordered one of the people. Merlin pulled the edge of the curtain to the side just a fraction to allow him to see who these people he was talking to were. Merlin saw Aeldred pulling off the long black cloak and handing it to a blond haired boy he recognised to be one of Aeldred's servants. The boy took the cloak with a shaking hand, bowed his head and scurried off to hang it up in the dresser. "Agh, Leofric, close those damn curtains will you, boy!" Aeldred quickly sidestepped into the shadows and away from the rays of light that were pouring in from the window. The curly-haired servant, who he had previously yelled at, hurried across the room and shut the other pair of curtains to the ones that Merlin was hiding behind. Merlin's breathing quickly sped up and caught in him throat. He swallowed hard as Leofric rushed across the room towards him. Merlin bit his lip and dropped the edge of the curtain so he was fully concealed behind the material. He just hoped that would be enough. Leofric grasped both of the curtains and pulled them together without noticing Merlin. He let out a long, relieved breath and took the edge of the curtain again to peer through both of them again. "That's better. Now…" Aeldred stopped mid-sentence and his face became tense. He stared around the room, drawing in a long breath, just like he had done with the bloodstained cloak, like he was smelling something in the air.

"Wha…what is it S-Sire?" Alcwyn hesitantly asked, following Aeldred's gaze around the room.

"There's someone here," Aeldred whispered.

Merlin's eyes widened and he bit his lip hard to stop him from gasping. Merlin could hear Aeldred moving round the room, drawing in deep breaths. Merlin suddenly tasted a metallic tang in his mouth as he noticed he was biting so hard on his lip he was drawing blood. But Merlin was too scared to wipe the blood that was now trickling from the side of his mouth away. He could here Aeldred coming nearer and nearer. Merlin shakily dared to draw back the curtain a fraction again but suddenly dropped it again as he saw Aeldred leaning over the bed, drawing in another deep breath.

"They've been here," Aeldred murmured. Merlin held his breath as he heard Aeldred begin to step towards the curtain he was hiding behind. He must've been about three feet away now, two, one. Now there was only the curtain standing between Merlin and Aeldred. Suddenly, the two curtains were ripped apart and Aeldred looked through the gap down at the courtyard, still keeping his face shielded by the shadow of one of the curtains. Merlin was in full view of Aeldred.


	7. Questions and not so many Answers

**Author's Note:** Bit of a messy chapter this one. I know my direct speech structure is a bit scruffy in this chapter but I hope the story is enough to let you forgive me! Bbbiiiggg clues up for grabs here. But I'm guessing that the majority of you have already guessed what's going on here. For the other people who haven't quite worked it out yet though, I'll keep my mouth shut. So anyway, hope you like this chapter despite my grammar and structure faux pas. Please review!

Chapter Seven

Aeldred could look round at any moment and see Merlin hiding there but Aeldred's gaze was fixed on the courtyard below. Merlin tried to steady his shaky breaths so that Aeldred wouldn't look round and find him.

"It's probably just my hunger making me scent things that aren't there. I'm so damn hungry. I haven't fed in weeks, months maybe. I need food and soon, I won't be able to last through this visit without blowing my cover. I'm going to have to get food somehow, and I think that servant of Arthur's is getting suspicious with me constantly turning down food and never going out," Aeldred said. He sighed heavily and turned away from the window, throwing the curtains back together after him. Merlin let out a slow, heavy breath as he heard Aeldred's footsteps travel further into the room.

"S-Sire, w-we could t-try smuggling some f-food into the c-castle…" Leofric tried.

"No. You'd get caught, idiot. And anyway, neither of you are quick enough to get anything for me to eat. You're both a pair of useless serving boys. I'd better get something to eat, 'cause you know what I can do, and what I will not hesitate to do…" He let the threat hang menacingly in the air. Merlin could tell the two servants were trembling. "Now get out of my sight! Now, boy!" There was a hasty scuffling of rushed footsteps and a thud as the door swung shut behind the two servants. Aeldred sighed and moved across the room. Merlin listened intently. He would have to find a way out of here and tell Gaius what he had heard. Merlin slipped his fingers tentatively through the curtains and pulled one aside less than an inch. Aeldred was wandering over to the chair that stood in front of the table. Just as he went to sit down, Merlin had an idea.

"_Hréran scéota," _Merlin murmured. He felt the magic surge up inside him and his eyes flash a bright shade of gold. There was a clatter, that seemed deafening in the eerie silence that had come over the room, in the far corner as something metal fell to the floor. Aeldred spun round, staring at the place the sound had come from. "Who is it? Who's there? Come out. Now!" He yelled into the darkness.

Merlin waited before Aeldred's back to be completely facing him, then made a break for the door. He darted across the room, stooping low along the side of the bed, and made a dash for the door. His footsteps were quick and silent and he reached the door just as Aeldred was turning round. Merlin quickly fumbled with the latch to open it and slipped through the gap that sent a stripe of light streaking across the shadowy floor. Merlin quickly came out of the room and closed the door hurriedly but carefully behind him, making sure that it didn't make any noise. Merlin then raced along the corridor and turned the corner just as he heard Aeldred's door open. Merlin was pretty sure that Aeldred hadn't seen him but that had been close. Too close.

"Aeldred is definitely up to something," Merlin stated as he shut the door behind him.

"Why? What did you find out?" Gaius asked.

"Well actually, it's quite strange, 'cause I didn't have to ask any questions," Merlin said.

"Why?"

"Well, when I went into his chamber, there was no one there, and he's _always _in his chamber. Secondly, when I had a look round, I noticed his bed. Now if there's something I know about, it's beds. This bed had definitely not been slept in," Merlin said, shaking his head.

"But if he hadn't been sleeping in that bed then… where had he been sleeping?" Gaius queried.

"That's if he's been sleeping at all," Merlin said. He hadn't even realised the meaning of the words until they came out of his mouth. Gaius shrugged and looked at him to indicate to keep telling his story.

Then Merlin began to recite what else had happened, Gaius listening intently to every word.

When Merlin had breathlessly finished, Gaius leaned back and looked at him incredulously.

Merlin had expected him to be asking question after question, but it seemed not. Well, even if he didn't have any questions, Merlin certainly did.

"He had his cloak on and the hood was pulled right over his head. You've seen the way the sun streams through the windows in that corridor, why did he have his hood up?

And every time there was a ray of sunlight coming through the gap in the curtains, he would jump away from it like it was made of fire.

And he treats those poor boys like dirt. No wonder they always look petrified of him. I mean, I thought Arthur was bad but… at least Arthur doesn't threaten me… much.

But then when he started breathing in heavily… It was like he was smelling the air. It was so strange. He must have sensed me or something, when he said there was someone there. Gaius, it was like he could scent me on the sheets. Like he could smell my touch. There was something wrong Gaius.

And, surely, no one could survive that long without food and still be in full health like he is, and I've given him every opportunity to have food. He was saying he hadn't eaten in weeks, months maybe.

And blowing what cover? What's he up to?

Well, whatever's happening, he obviously doesn't want me starting to suspect things. And this means it's going to be harder getting information because he's going to be on guard when I'm around.

And why wouldn't the servants be quick enough to get the food… unless.

But the way he was talking throughout the whole thing… it was unnatural," Merlin finished exasperatedly.

There was a pause while Merlin looked expectantly at Gaius and he contemplated what he had said.

"Well Merlin, it seems that you have come back with a lot more questions rather than getting answers," Gaius stated conclusively.

"Well, yeah. I suppose I have…" Merlin said a little downheartedly.

"But it's certainly given me a lot to do," Gaius said, standing up from the bench. Merlin frowned and followed him to the door.

"What do you mean? Where are you going?" Merlin asked as he stepped out of the room.

"To do some reading," Gaius answered briefly and then headed off down the stairs. Merlin threw up his hands as he left. What was he meant to do now?


	8. The Wide Outdoors

**Author's Note:** Woah, epic chapter coming your way! Hope you guys are ready for some detective work! Aeldred finally gets out in the open in this chapter so it'll be interesting to see how he reacts to that, well, I hope it will be anyway! Bit of a cliffy at the end but I think you guys can manage that! So I'll shut up now and let you enjoy! Please review!

Chapter Eight

"Has Aeldred not been out in the past three days?" Arthur asked, twisting his sword round in his hand as he sat insipidly.

"Nope, well I saw him returning to his chambers yesterday but I'm pretty sure he didn't go very far," Merlin answered, gathering the King's clothes for washing.

"I feel bad, he's come all this way to honour my father's memory and I haven't as much as talked to him. Maybe I should…" Arthur trailed off and Merlin looked up. "I have just had a brilliant idea," Arthur said slowly.

"Give me the day off?" Merlin tried, putting on a hopeful grin.

Arthur looked at Merlin askance and shook his head.

"Well obviously not. What about a hunting trip? What do you think?" Arthur asked, looking happily up at Merlin. Merlin raised his hands to his shoulders.

"You're asking the wrong person. I can't say I am particularly in favour of hunting trips in themselves. This is your call Arthur," Merlin said.

Arthur looked back down at the floor in front of him and began to twist his sword round again. Merlin carried on picking various items of clothing that were littered all over the room where Arthur had discarded them.

"OK then. We will. Go and tell him, now," Arthur said, cheerfully.

"What… now?" Merlin asked, stopping what he was doing and frowning up at the King.

"Well yes," Arthur said putting an evident expression on as if to say 'duh'.

Merlin rolled his eyes, sighed, put his large pile of clothes on the table and headed for the door as Arthur smiled gleefully at him. Well Merlin was glad that someone was happy, 'cause Merlin definitely wasn't.

"What? Arthur wants to have a hunting trip? Now?" Aeldred asked, disbelievingly.

"Yep, right now," Merlin said.

"Well…" Aeldred said reluctantly but tried to force on a smile, "I really don't feel up to it. You see, I've been feeling a little…"

"Nonsense, of course you'll go. You haven't been out in three days," Merlin encouraged.

"No, no. I really don't think it's a good idea. I mean, I…"

"Then it's settled," Merlin smiled, cheerfully, "hunting trip it is."

Aeldred opened his mouth to argue but Merlin was already heading towards the door. "I'd start getting ready now if I were you. The King wants to leave as soon as possible. I'll go and prepare the horses, don't be too long," Merlin called back as he held out his hand to open the door. Just as he was leaving, Merlin caught sight of the mirror hanging on the wall. He glanced at it fleetingly, but then he did a double take and stared at the glass incredulously. Where he should have seen a reflection of Aeldred, there was just the wall that was behind him. Merlin blinked a couple of times just to check that he wasn't imagining things. But however much he blinked, the image of Aeldred still didn't show. Aeldred didn't have a reflection. Merlin looked up at Aeldred disbelievingly but then smiled cheerfully, noticing the suspicious look Aeldred was giving him. He quickly unlatched the door and hurried out of the room.

Aeldred looked like he was ready to take down anything that had made him go on this hunting trip… and that main thing had been Merlin. He swallowed awkwardly and pretended to be focusing all his attention on adjusting the horse's throat lash. He felt Aeldred's eyes burning into the back of his head. Merlin smirked secretly to himself. Maybe now he would be able to get a few more answers out of Aeldred. Merlin risked a glance up in Aeldred's direction. Arthur had approached him and was smiling excitedly at him. Aeldred attempted to return the smile but failed and only managed a fake looking smile that looked like he was in pain. He had his black hood drawn securely over his head, concealing as much of his face as he could. Although it did keep him away from the sun, Merlin could just about read his expressions through the shadows.

After Aeldred and Arthur had time to have a short greeting, they both mounted their horses. Arthur spurred on his pearly grey steed towards the drawbridge. Aeldred followed reluctantly on his dappled chestnut horse. Merlin followed after Aeldred on his inky black gelding, the Knights following on their mounts behind him and then all the guards on foot, wielding their swords, crossbows and daggers in front of them as they ran after the line. Arthur sped up to a canter and the line behind him followed his lead. _This is going to be fun, _thought Merlin sarcastically.

The whole forest was silent. Merlin thought it was quite eerie but Arthur was obviously right at home with his sword in his hand and his Knights at his side. They had left the horses just a way back as Arthur had said they should go on, on foot. So here Merlin was, surrounded by at least twenty men, all armed with either a sword, a crossbow or a dagger while he didn't have a single weapon on him. Well… apart from his magic that is. They all crept forward, everyone staring through the trees for any sign of movement. Merlin was near the front of the pack, watching both Arthur and Aeldred. Suddenly, something moved in the bushes up ahead. Arthur's eyes were instantly drawn to the source of the noise. Everyone in the group tensed and followed Arthur's gaze, including Aeldred. They all watched as a deer stepped out of the undergrowth, oblivious to the group of armed hunters that were watching its every movement. It nibbled at a piece of grass tentatively. Arthur signalled for the group to advance. The Knights followed the command and moved forwards silently. Their hunting training was coming in handy here. Unfortunately, Merlin didn't have such training. He crept forwards with the group, still staring at the deer. As he stepped forward, he failed to notice the small tree stump that stood in his way. His foot hit it and, taken by surprise, Merlin went tumbling over the stump, causing the whole of the group to glower across at him. Merlin looked up just in time to see the deer give an alarmed look to the group of hunters and spring away into the trees. Merlin didn't bother looking up, he just let his head fall to the ground again and waited for the yell.

"_Mer_lin!" Yep, there we go, the same emphasis on the first syllable of his name as always. "How could you be such an idiot? It was right there!" Arthur exclaimed. Merlin pulled himself up, brushed himself down briefly and gave an apologetic look to the glowering group.

"Sorry guys," he said shrugging and trying for a faint smile. None of them returned it. They all sighed and looked back ahead, searching for another creature to prey on. Merlin sighed too and carried on walking. Arthur had assumed the position as leader again and was scanning the trees more closely now, desperate to catch something before Merlin had a chance to scare it away. Merlin then looked round for the other person he was meant to be keeping an eye on. But he was nowhere to be seen. Merlin scanned the group for any sign of a long, hooded cloak but no such figure appeared. Merlin stopped dead in his tracks, looking around him. Aeldred had disappeared. Merlin looked round at Arthur. He was still staring through the trees on high alert. Merlin checked if any of the other Knights were looking his way. Of course not. They were too busy looking for another innocent animal to hunt down and brutally kill for fun to look at him. Merlin saw his chance and disappeared into the undergrowth, ducking into the bushes and brambles.

Merlin searched around the shadows for any sign of a sweeping cloak. Nothing. He had strayed well away from the group but it didn't sound like anyone was looking for him. Merlin didn't know if he was glad or not at that. Nevertheless, Merlin kept going, desperately searching for any sign of movement. Merlin was beginning to lose hope. It would be becoming dark soon. Although Merlin didn't mind the dark, he still didn't fancy the idea of stumbling round here at night on his own.

Suddenly, the shrill sound of a twig snapping sliced open the silence. Merlin spun round on his heel, careful not to make any noise himself. Merlin thought he saw something moving behind a nearby tree. He crept forward, keeping his steps silent and his breathing low. Merlin snuck around the tree that the noise had come from. He stepped out to see who it was hiding in the undergrowth, although Merlin already had a good idea of who it was. Merlin's suspicions were confirmed as he saw a figure with a long, black, hooded cloak covering himself crouching over what seemed like some sort of animal. It was quite difficult to see him however, the darkness had crept up on him and taken him by surprise. The sun was now well on its way to the horizon and the forest was almost in complete darkness. The rustling of leaves beneath Merlin's feet alerted Aeldred and he sprang up instantly. As he turned, Merlin got a glimpse of exactly what Aeldred was leaning over. Merlin drew back sharply as he saw the misty, unblinking, unseeing eyes of the deer the group had tracked down only about half an hour ago.

From what Merlin had seen, Aeldred hadn't been armed when they had first found the deer so how on earth had he managed to kill it? And why had he not alerted the group? And why did the deer look so lifeless? Well, yeah, it _was _dead but even though… it looked as though its life had been drained out of it.

Aeldred began to turn around, staring behind him for the person who had intruded.

As Aeldred got up, he wiped something away from the corner of his mouth. Something that was dark crimson.

Something that trickled down his skin.

Something that looked an awful lot like blood.


	9. What!

**Author's Note:** WARNING! LONG CHAPTER COMING YOUR WAY! But according to the lovely chapters I've been getting, I think you all wouldn't mind just a little bit more! So, we finish something and start something else in this chapter. Sounds strange but it makes sense when you read it. So, hope you enjoy! You know the plan - review!

Chapter Nine

And then there was the deer. Merlin's eyes slipped down to the poor animal's unmoving body. There was something terribly wrong. Its bones were visible, pressing against its skin. It looked skeletal.

It looked… flat, deflated, shrunken… drained.

What had happened? What had left the deer in this state? Why hadn't Aeldred alerted anyone? And why had he strayed from the group in the first place?

Suddenly, Aeldred's eyes were upon him, staring at him incredulously. Merlin stared back, equally disbelievingly. They just stared at each other for a moment, not talking. Not having to talk.

Suddenly, something shot past Merlin's head and pierced the tree trunk behind where Aeldred was standing. A dagger. Merlin turned on his heel just in time to dodge an arrow that only just missed his shoulder. All of a sudden, multiple arrows were being shot at him from an invisible source. Merlin dodged them narrowly and peered into the darkness. Just as he did, a few people rushed at him from through the blackness, wielding swords in front of them. Merlin stared at them for a moment but then recognised their faces. The Knights.

Merlin gaped at them, wondering why they had been shooting at him and throwing daggers at him. But now wasn't the time for wondering, now was the time for stopping the people who knew him from running him through with a sword. But he didn't have to, someone else did for him.

"Wait! Stop Leon! It's…it's…Merlin?" Arthur called out. Merlin backed away as Leon drew his sword back to stab Merlin with his blade. At Arthur's call, Leon grinded to a halt, mid-stab and looked up at Merlin. Merlin stared with a terrified expression on his face at Leon who was now realising who he was about to run through.

"Wha…What? Merlin? Oh… I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't know… I didn't know who you were," Leon apologised embarrassedly and lowered his sword. Merlin nodded shakily, still staring at the blade in Leon's hand. He then looked up at who had stopped the Knights. Arthur was now emerging from the blackness, staring bewilderedly at Merlin.

"What the hell are you doing here Merlin? You almost got killed. And, you… Oh, Aeldred. I… I didn't see you there," Arthur realised both sheepishly and confusedly. "What are you both… What happened?" Arthur's voice trailed off as his gaze lowered to the deer at Aeldred's feet.

"I can answer that, Sire," Aeldred piped up. Arthur turned his gaze slowly to Aeldred and frowned. "I thought I saw something moving in the bushes Sire, so I left the group to investigate. I know I shouldn't have left the group, forgive me Sire. But then, seeing there was nothing there I tried to find the group again but you had gone without me," Merlin could tell Aeldred was making this up on the spot, but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to get in anymore trouble than he was already in. "Then it started going dark. I was walking round in the blackness when I rounded a tree and found Merlin crouching over… this," Aeldred answered, indicating the deer behind him.

Merlin stared at Aeldred in astonishment. _What? Why was Aeldred making this up? He knew that it had been the other way round, _Merlin's head was yelling. Arthur frowned up at Merlin.

"Well? What happened Merlin?" Arthur asked perplexedly. Aeldred flashed a look across at Merlin and smirked. Merlin glared back at him but faced back to Arthur.

"I…I…"

What was he meant to do now? Tell the truth, but Arthur would never believe his word over Aeldred's, or tell a lie and go along with Aeldred's story, letting Aeldred get away with it and possibly getting himself into trouble in the process. As much as he didn't like the idea of it, he decided that it would be safest to go along with Aeldred's story. Merlin looked up at Arthur who was still staring curiously at him and then Aeldred who was still smirking to himself.

"I…I was following the group when I noticed that Aeldred was missing. No one had seemed to have noticed so I went looking for him, being his servant and all. I searched for a while, until it went dark, when I stumbled across this. I was just going to examine it to see what was wrong with it when… Aeldred came," Merlin said reluctantly, glaring at Aeldred.

They all looked down at the deer.

"So what has happened to it?" Arthur asked, seemingly at Merlin. Merlin looked down at it and swallowed.

"It…it seems to have been drained of its blood," Merlin observed hesitantly. Merlin saw Aeldred stiffen a little out of the corner of his eye and the smirk on his face disappear.

Arthur stepped forward and crouched down next to the animal.

"There's no sign of a wound," Arthur noticed, running his hand over the creature's side. "You're sure you didn't see anything strange when you found it Merlin?" Arthur asked, frowning.

"No, just it lying there," Merlin replied distrustfully. He longed to just say, _yes actually, I did. And I'm sure that Aeldred here would be delighted to tell you exactly what I saw. _But Merlin knew better and instead just kept his head down. Arthur took one more gaze over the animal and straightened up.

"Well, there's nothing we can do for it now. Come on, we're already late," Arthur stated, starting to head off back to where they had left the horses. Merlin had one more look at the deer and followed Arthur out of the clearing, passing Aeldred as he did. Aeldred, who had his head lowered under his hood, shot a smirking, triumphant look at Merlin. Merlin kept his head down and carried on following Arthur through the trees.

Arthur hadn't said a word since Merlin had entered the room and was awkwardly sharpening one of Arthur's swords as he had told him to when he came in, but that had been all that had been said. Arthur was stood by the window, staring absently out over the trees of the forest that lay just past the town. Merlin was watching him curiously out of the corner of his eye. Everyone on the hunting trip had been left a little shaken after yesterday's events, Merlin in particular. Gaius hadn't been there when Merlin got back from the trip but, being completely honest, he had been too tired to be worried so had gone straight to bed, assuming that Gaius had gone to deliver some daily remedy to someone in the castle. Gaius had been fast asleep when Merlin had emerged from his room that morning also and Merlin didn't feel that he should wake him, so he would just have too wait to tell the Physician of what he had seen last night.

"Are you alright? You haven't said a word all morning. Which certainly isn't like you," Merlin tried. Arthur just shrugged and carried on staring out of the window, his arms crossed. There was something wrong. "Arthur? Come on, I'm missing your usual prattle," Merlin joked, but in vain. Arthur continued to stare absent-mindedly out of the glass. Merlin sighed and dropped the sword he was sharpening on the table. He came slowly over to Arthur and stood behind him. "What's wrong Arthur?" He asked attentively. Arthur sighed and looked round at Merlin with desolate eyes.

"Am I being a good King?" Arthur asked quietly. Merlin was a little taken aback at this. Why was Arthur questioning his ability at being a good King? Surely he knew that the whole Kingdom was supporting him and knew he was doing a great job? Obviously not.

"What do you mean? Of course you are. Why wouldn't you be? What's made you think that?" Merlin asked, stunned.

"No, really. Am I being a good King? To anyone?" Arthur asked, looking Merlin in the eye. Merlin knew that something had happened to make him think this way. It couldn't be what happened yesterday could it? No, why would it? But then, what was it? Arthur looked down at his feet, exhaling dejectedly.

"You're being a good King to me," Merlin replied quietly. Arthur's eyes snapped back up at Merlin's words. "An-and the rest of the Kingdom…" Merlin added, realising how his words sounded. Arthur tried for a weak smile but it instantly faded. There was a short pause where Arthur turned to look back out of the window, leaning to one side of it. Merlin came round and leaned on the other, watching the townspeople going about their daily business.

"My father was liked by all," Arthur began. Merlin raised his eyebrows as he thought of all the sorcerers he had met who had sworn revenge on Uther and had attempted to kill him for his hatred of all things magical. Even Merlin had to admit that at certain occasions, he himself had secretly wished that Uther could somehow get paid back for all the hatred of all things magical, including himself. If Uther had known about Merlin's powers, he would have had him burnt at the stake without any hesitation. That was a little vexing to say the least. Arthur must have spotted Merlin's expression of incredulity as he corrected himself with a faint smile. "OK, he was like by most people. I mean, we've got the son of one of many best friends in Camelot as we speak, but me. I'm no one. I could never live up to my father's reign," Arthur said dismally. Merlin sighed and put an arm round Arthur's shoulders.

"Arthur, look down there. All those people are living under your reign. Do they look like they think you're no one? Do they look like they think their King is a failure? 'Cause I don't think they do. And I don't think you are. Now come on, stop putting yourself down," Merlin encouraged, trying for a frail smile. Arthur looked up at him. Merlin took is arm away and looked back. Arthur's eyes searched into his soul, trying to see if Merlin really meant it. Arthur must of found that he did because he retuned the smile and put a hand on Merlin's shoulder.

"Thanks Merlin. You know what, you're not a _complete _idiot," Arthur admitted. Merlin smiled happily. Arthur rolled his eyes at this and came away from the window. "I wouldn't be looking so happy with yourself, you're still _mostly _idiot," Arthur said. Merlin's smile vanished and was replaced by a dejected look at Arthur. Arthur looked across at him and smiled. "You've given me an idea, Merlin. I'm going to hold a feast in honour of Aeldred's visit. What do you think?" Arthur grinned.

"Wow, you are feeling better," Merlin observed. "Yeah, sounds good. Should I go tell him now?"

"Yes, as soon as possible. And then inform the kitchens, will you?" Arthur asked excitedly. Merlin smiled and bowed his head and went to leave.

"Oh, and Merlin?" Merlin looked round. "You can come back later to finish that off," Arthur indicated the sword lying on the table. Merlin rolled his eyes and stepped out of the door.

"A what?" Aeldred spluttered and stared up at Merlin.

"A feast, in honour of your visit. He would like to get to know you more, and talk about the times that you and his father had together," Merlin explained, watching Aeldred's reactions very carefully.

"Err… I'm not sure that a feast would be a very good idea for me. I'm not good with…with… um, crowds. Yes, I'm not very good with crowds," Aeldred said, trying to sound regretful but not doing a very good job of it.

"You seemed OK yesterday on the hunting trip, and there were lots of people around you then," Merlin pointed out. He was rather liking seeing Aeldred sweat.

"Well…um…I…" Aeldred didn't seem to be able to think of an excuse for that one.

"Oh, and speaking of the hunting trip…" Merlin started. "Why did you tell Arthur that I was in the clearing before you? You know perfectly well that I walked in on you, not the other way round." Merlin was taking a huge risk here, speaking in such a way to a King. Aeldred seemed to be thinking the same thing and quickly strode up to Merlin, his face treacherous.

"Keep out of things that don't concern you boy, or I'll tell Arthur exactly what you did to that deer last night," Aeldred threatened, his face so close to Merlin's, Merlin could feel his breath on his skin.

"But I didn't do anything to the deer last night," Merlin frowned.

"Well Arthur doesn't know that does he? And who do you think he'll believe? Me, a fellow King and the son of his father's best friend; or you, his simple serving boy who hasn't done anything for him for the past week? Think about it, boy," Aeldred hissed.

Merlin stared at him as he walked away to the window, of which its curtains were tightly closed as always. Merlin saw this as his cue to leave. He hurried to the door and exited the room before Aeldred had a chance to yell another threat his way.


	10. An Unwanted Celebration

**Author's Note:** Oops! OK, we'll pretend that re-post of Chapter Nine never happened. OK? (Thanks to serial blogger for pointing that out for me!) Ahem, but anyway… Thanks again sooo much for all the wonderful reviews I've been getting! I really appreciate them! They help me so much with my writing and I get a little tingling whenever I read a lovely comment, and there's been a lot of them! So thanks again, and another lot of Merlin love going out to all of you! There! Did you get it? Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter, some serious action going on here! Thanks again and review please and keep me grinning like a maniac!

Chapter Ten

Merlin squinted into the tiny mirror he had found lurking in Gaius' chambers. He straightened his beloved scarlet scarf round his neck and decided he looked presentable. Merlin dropped the mirror onto his bed and headed for the door. Gaius was stood there in his red robes, ready for the feast. He would be leaving a little while after Merlin as Merlin would have to be earlier to help the other servants set the table before the guests started to arrive. He had already told Gaius of last night's events and Gaius hadn't been able to make any sense out of what had happened to the deer. But Merlin hadn't really expected him to tell him anything that he didn't already know.

"Stunning as ever?" Merlin called, holding out his arms to his sides to show himself.

He turned and grinned to Gaius. Gaius smiled back, rolling his eyes at Merlin. Merlin shook his head and pulled open the door to leave.

If Merlin had a coin for every time Aeldred shot him a malicious look during the feast, he would probably be richer than Arthur. While Arthur was merrily chatting to guests, Aeldred next to him was having to force on a fake smile and try to conceal his malevolent glances towards Merlin. Merlin was also trying to conceal his expressions, but his were not as dark. Merlin bowed hid head as he tried to hide another smirk as Arthur called Aeldred, who was sitting next to him. Aeldred was forced to look round and enhance his false smile. Merlin swallowed down a laugh and, when he had regained his bearings, looked around the room. Merlin had been past Arthur and Aeldred as they were talking numerous times but had only heard odd words of their conversations. Things like 'King', 'great friend', 'help to the kingdom', 'wish he was still with us', 'understand what you're going through' and 'I hope I can help' had been mentioned multiple times.

It was certainly a huge feast. But then, the feasts in Camelot always served enough to feed twice as many people as were coming. Merlin didn't know how the cooks in the kitchens coped.

Gaius was sat at the far end of the room, next to his friend, Geoffrey of Monmouth, the Keeper of the Hall of Records and whose views of Merlin were somewhat flawed. He was chatting quite happily.

Merlin, glad that Gaius was having a good time, looked across at Aeldred again to see how he was enjoying the feast. Not to Merlin's surprise, Aeldred's plate was empty and he didn't look like he'd be eating anytime soon either. Aeldred himself was now looking rather uncomfortable. The conversation between him and Arthur must have just got a little awkward. Merlin was determined to find out what Arthur had brought up to make Aeldred look so uneasy. Merlin noticed that The person sitting next to Aeldred's cup had become empty. Merlin scooted round the end of the table and went to pour more wine from the pitcher he was carrying. But someone beat him to it. Someone with a very shaky hand. Merlin looked up to see who it was and saw Leofric, Aeldred's curly haired servant. As Merlin moved away Leofric smiled uneasily at him, hurriedly bowed as the guest thanked him and retreated to the other end of the room, well away from Merlin and his master. Merlin didn't mind however, he was in a perfect position to listen into Aeldred and Arthur's conversation.

"So how did your father get to know mine?" Arthur asked, taking a sip of his wine. Aeldred glanced behind him to see Merlin standing a little way off. Aeldred didn't look pleased to see him to say the least but turned back to Arthur.

"Well…he…" Aeldred started. He seemed to be searching his mind for some event that could have brought his father and Uther together. "Uther was in a tournament, before he became King, in Rheged. He met my father there, who was competing as part of a… a bet that he and I were having," Aeldred improvised, still forcing that false smile on his face. To be honest, from where Merlin was standing, it was starting to look a little bit like Aeldred was in pain.

"Is that so?" Arthur asked, impressed. "So, did my father win this tournament?" Arthur leaned back in his chair, obviously enjoying the leisure of the conversation. Arthur could have spared some relaxation for Aeldred however, as merlin thought he could start to see a sweat appearing on his brow.

"Well…um…yes, in fact he did. That's how he and my father became such good friends. They were in the final and afterwards my father was complementing Uther on what a good swordsman he was. After that he would invite him to Rheged regularly for feasts and their friendship grew from there."

Merlin was surprised that Aeldred could make up such a believable story. Arthur seemed well satisfied with this information. He smiled and stood up. Aeldred watched him uneasily

"I would like to propose a toast to my good friend Aeldred." Arthur called across the humming of noisy conversations. The hall quietened as soon as he spoke, looking up to the head of the table. "He has helped both me and all the people who remember my father's great legacy get through a hard time. To King Aeldred!" Arthur projected across the hall. Everyone in the room apart from Aeldred and Merlin, who shrank back into the shadows in order to not look discourteous, held their glasses in the air and joined Arthur in declaring another 'to Aeldred!' Merlin waited until everyone had settled back down to their chattering and laughing before stepping back out into the light.

"Aeldred, you haven't had a bite to eat all night. You must be starved. Please, have something. This whole feast is for you. Come on, eat something," Arthur implored. Aeldred looked reluctant but unwillingly took a piece of chicken from a nearby plate at took a bite. Arthur looked satisfied and sat back in his chair, although still keeping an eye on Aeldred to make sure he ate more than that. Aeldred seemed to notice that he was being watched and, after he had polished off the chicken, took an apple and bit into it. There was a quick look of what looked like, from where Merlin was standing, revulsion as the piece of apple he had bitten off slid down his throat. Arthur looked across at Aeldred and nodded towards a piece of bread that was waiting on the side of a plate. Aeldred forced another smile and took the bread, another expression of disgust flashing across his features. Arthur now looked completely satisfied and started talking to the person sitting on the other side of him. Aeldred meanwhile was less relaxed as he looked over his shoulder and cast a vindictive gaze in Merlin's direction. Merlin just soaked it up and kept staring ahead of him, immune to Aeldred's spitefulness.

Merlin thought he would give Aeldred about half an hour before he made his way back to his chambers to make sure he was OK for the night.

When this half an hour had passed, Merlin made his way up to the corridor as he had promised himself and entered the room without Aeldred's usual admittance. As soon as Merlin stepped into the room however, he knew something was wrong. The first sign was the revolting odour that invaded his nostrils. It smelled like… well, Merlin didn't really want to think about that too much. The second sign was the terrible retching sounds that were emitting from just to the left of the room. Merlin frowned and stepped a little further into the room and looked around. He instantly spotted a long, black cloak protruding from the screen just to the left of him. Aeldred was doubled over his head bent behind the screen. Merlin moved round a little so he could see what Aeldred was doing. There was another terrible retching noise and Merlin flinched back as he saw Aeldred holding a wine pitcher up to his mouth. Merlin didn't need to see any more, he stepped back.

"S-Sire? Are you… Are you OK?" Merlin asked, tentatively. Aeldred's head snapped up and stared at Merlin. He opened his mouth briefly, seemingly to tell Merlin to go away but, deciding against the idea, tried to keep his tone calm and steady.

"Yes, Merlin. I can cope on my own. Please, as you can see I am not feeling…" At this Aeldred coughed and swallowed. Merlin didn't want to think about what he was swallowing down, the urge to yell or something more physical, if that was the word for it. "I am not feeling very well so please leave me alone," he asked calmly.

"Are you sure? I should really go get Gaius, he could sort it out for…"

"No boy! I said leave me alone! Now I don't want to see you again! Do you understand me?" He yelled. Merlin flinched away at the sudden outburst. The volume of his voice hit him like a wave and forced him back a little. Merlin nodded shakily and retreated from Aeldred's trembling figure. He wrenched open the door and withdrew from the room, thankful of both the parting from Aeldred and the relief of fresh air.


	11. All is Revealed

**Author's Note:** Waaaaahhhh! Epic chapter coming up! This chapter basically explains everything so read attentively! Yaaay! Really excited about this chap! Would really appreciate it if you guys took the time to write me a review, cause I would love to hear the feedback for this chap! Hope you guys love it as much as I do! Big cliffy at the end! Sorry! Pleaseeeeee reviewww! Thanks!

Chapter Eleven

Once Merlin had told Gaius all he had seen, he was a little surprised at Gaius' reaction.

"Aren't you surprised?" Merlin asked confusedly. Gaius leaned back in his chair and clasped his wrinkled fingers together.

"Well…I can't say that I am," Gaius replied coolly. Merlin went to form the word 'why' on his lips but Gaius answered his question even before the word left his mouth. "When I went to go and search for Aeldred's family in the Hall of Records, I think I know why I couldn't find any substantial information. It's because I was looking in the wrong places." Gaius got up from his chair and went across to a nearby workbench. He took a hefty book off the table and brought it back across the room to his chair. He sat down and opened the book onto a page that he had dog-eared. He then passed the book over to Merlin without any other explanation. Merlin took the book from him, a frown fixed upon his face, and it only deepened when he saw the title of the book Gaius had given him. 'Magical Creatures of Britain' was written in curly writing across the front cover. He then turned to the page that Gaius had indicated and flinched back as he saw the picture dominating most of the page. It was a glaring hand-drawn picture of a person wearing a long, black, hooded cloak. He had black hair that covered a large proportion of his face, unusually dark eyes and impossibly pale skin. But the thing that really struck Merlin were the long, pointed fangs that protruded from the thin lips and the blood trickling down them. Merlin's eyes were then drawn to the piece of text that accompanied the picture.

_The Vampire is a vicious creature that will stop at nothing to get to what it craves most, blood. Human blood is preferred but a desperate Vampire will settle for animal blood. They can smell blood from around a mile away. Vampires will never eat or drink anything other than blood, or they will violently vomit shortly afterwards. If a Vampire is exposed to sunlight, then their skin begins to glow white light. Vampires cannot sleep, as they spend most of the night-time hunting prey. Vampires are notoriously difficult to identify as they have the appearance of normal human beings and they can extend and retract their fangs at will. Although there are a few ways of recognising a Vampire. Firstly there is the abnormally pallid skin which is due to the absence of blood in the body. Secondly, the dark eyes, these get darker as the Vampire gets more thirsty for blood. Thirdly, Vampires have no reflection, so are invisible in mirrors. Lastly, the Vampire usually has dark hair that partially covers the face to trey and hide their paleness. These are all rather obscure notices but when one looks closely, can all be good indicators. They can only be killed by being stabbed through the heart with a wooden stake. They will also be repelled by silver and anything holy, e.g. holy water, crucifix, cross, etc. _

Merlin then looked across at the second block of text, subtitled 'The Infection'.

_When a Vampire has hunted down its prey, it then injects its victim with its fangs. If the Vampire pierces the skin and injects its venom into the bloodstream but the fangs are removed without taking any blood, the Vampire venom will turn the victim into a Vampire also if they are not immediately treated, and even then the antidote is extremely complex to make. This transformation is excruciatingly painful. But if the victim becomes a Vampire fully, then it is impossible to change it back without killing it. Although if the fangs are not removed and the Vampire injects its venom and begins to suck out blood, then the Vampire will withdraw its blood from the veins and the all the blood will be taken out, leaving the victim dead. _

Merlin swallowed as he read the last word. He then gazed over the second hand drawn image showing a dark haired man sinking his fangs into a girl's neck. He then looked across to the last piece of text of the page. This one's subtitle was 'Ancient Vampire Families of Britain'. There were only around six names there. He skimmed across them, but then the last name made him pause and stare. He gazed, unable to believe what he was reading. He blinked a couple of times just to check he had read the text right. Despite however many times he blinked, the word on the page still spelt out what he had been dreading. Number six - Vallan. Merlin looked up to Gaius incredulously. Gaius nodded towards the text at the top of the next page. Merlin looked across at it and began to read. It was subtitled 'Vampire Inheritance'.

_Becoming a Vampire can be done by three ways, all causing agonising pain. The first way is the most common one, mentioned in the last paragraph, by way of one Vampire __biting a victim. Secondly, Vampire venom can be injected straight into a victim's bloodstream. And thirdly, the Vampire gene can be passed through inheritance from mother and/or father. _

_If a Vampire female gets pregnant with a Vampire male, then the child will be born as a Vampire also. Although, if a male Vampire gets a human female pregnant then the baby will take the blood from the mother as its food source while it is in the womb and the mother will die from blood loss, just before the baby will be due to be born, although the child will live. _

The next section of writing went on to explain how the Vampire venom breaks down the human blood cells in order to transform the victim into a Vampire.

Merlin looked up in disbelief at Gaius.

"Surely you don't mean…" Merlin asked, shaking his head.

"I'm afraid that's what it says," Gaius said sombrely. Merlin looked back down at the glaring image of the dark haired Vampire baring his fangs and pictured Aeldred snarling up at him instead. Worryingly, it wasn't too hard to visualise. "Well that explains the lack of food; the black, hooded cloak; the not slept in bed; the avoiding of sunlight; the sensing that I was in his chambers; the blood on the cloak clasp; and…and the deer in the woods. He had blood on his…It must have been…" Merlin's eyes widened and he stared at Gaius. "I have to go tell Arthur," Merlin said, heading off towards the door.

"Merlin, maybe you should wait till tomorrow night, when the King's hangover has blown over?"

Merlin considered this and decided that bursting into the King's chambers in the middle of the night yelling about Vampires after a feast where Arthur was very likely to have had more than just a few drinks was not a brilliant idea.

Merlin nodded and reached for the door, preparing himself for some persuasive talking tomorrow.

"Ah, Merlin. I've been waiting for you. Tidy these clothes up will you, they're doing my head in," Arthur indicated the clothes scattered across the room as Merlin entered. Merlin sighed and bowed his head.

"Yes Sire." He grasped the handmade stake he was crafted last night after Gaius had thought he had gone to bed under his jacket. He surreptitiously slipped it onto the desk, ready for him to collect before he left. The sun was set outside already. The days were definitely growing shorter as the sun's sister started to take over the early mornings and late nights. Merlin began to go about scooping up various items of clothing that were strewn across the floor. Arthur put his feet up on his desk and leaned back, smiling and clasping his hands behind his head. Merlin decided to wait until the atmosphere was a little more relaxed before he went into telling Arthur about Aeldred. He didn't want to say anything rash. "What's made you so happy?" Merlin asked casually.

"Oh, nothing, just… well I don't know. Is it against the law to feel happy?"

"No Sire, certainly not," Merlin replied, moving behind the screen where he found at least fifteen items of clothing hiding. Merlin sighed. He decided it was good a time as ever to tell Arthur about who Aeldred really was. He was just about to open his mouth to speak when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," Arthur admitted. Merlin heard the door creak open and someone step in. Merlin didn't bother looking up, instead he carried on retrieving the clothes from off the floor behind the screen. "Ah, Aeldred. What a pleasant surprise."

Merlin froze.


	12. Unravelling Truths

**Author's Note:** EPIC ACTION CHAPTER ALERT! *Siren goes off* I've gotta feeling you guys are gonna like this! Yep, it is indeed an epic chapter! We are getting to the exciting part now! Squeee! Well hope you like and please review to tell me if you are excited about this chapter as I am! Woooop! Hope you likey and review!

Chapter Twelve

"Arthur, I wanted to come and thank you for everything you have done for me throughout my stay. The hunting trip, the feast and the most gracious hospitality you have offered. I regret to say that I will be parting with you tomorrow and I wished to come and say goodbye."

"Tomorrow? So soon?" Arthur asked, a little downheartedly.

"I'm afraid so. The people of Rheged will be needing their King back soon."

"Of course, you also have people to rule."

"But there are a few things I wish to tell you before I leave. Things that I've been keeping from you for the whole of my stay. In fact, it's the whole real reason I came here. You see, my father was never friends with Uther. _I _was never friends with Uther. I have never wished to celebrate his memory, I am glad he is gone from this world," Aeldred spat.

Merlin straightened up slowly and peered out of the holes in the pattern of the screen. The whole room was in full view now, including Arthur and Aeldred. Arthur had stood up from his desk and was staring in complete disbelief and anger at Aeldred. Aeldred was glaring at Arthur with such venom that Merlin was surprised that Arthur wasn't wincing in pain.

"You take that back now," Arthur growled, stepping forward and clenching his fists at his sides.

"Your whole family has brought nothing but misery to my family for centuries. I'm surprised how easy it was to gain your trust. You never even stopped to think about checking who my family were. The Pendragon and Vallan family have been mortal enemies for centuries. But now everyone has forgotten, no one remembers the hate between us both. But now I'm here to bring that back and take revenge for my ancestors," Aeldred hissed.

"Your-your father was never a friend of mine?" Arthur asked, bewildered.

"My father is dead! I killed him, because of you. He was one of the few that remembered the hate between Pendragon and Vallan, but he wanted to stop it. He wanted peace. But I hated him for it. I killed him," Aeldred snarled, his voice like a dagger.

"And now, Arthur Pendragon, I will take my revenge and kill you."

Arthur's look of anger and bewilderment quickly changed to shock as Aeldred lunged forward. Arthur moved backwards and grabbed a sword off his desk. He wielded it front of him. Merlin watched in horror as Aeldred took a swing at his with his hand. But it was what had happened to his hand that was troubling him. His nails had changed to inch long, black, hooked claws… no, talons. Arthur must have spotted them too as his eyes widened in alarm.

"What…are…you?" Arthur panted as he swung his sword round, keeping Aeldred at a safe distance. Aeldred didn't reply but instead snarled and bared his teeth, showing two, needle-sharp fangs. Arthur's eyes widened even more and he hesitated. That one second pause was all that Aeldred needed. He lunged forward and latched his hooked talons into Arthur's flesh. Arthur screamed in pain and dropped to the ground, his sword clattering to his side on the wood floor. Aeldred straightened up and glowered down at him. Merlin could tell that the claws had dug deep into Arthur's shoulder as blood was already spilling out of the wound at an alarming rate. Merlin's head was screaming at him. _What the hell are you doing? Go out and help him! Aeldred will kill him! _But another voice hiding in the back of his head was whispering a different command. _No, wait until the last minute. You'll get yourself killed. Trust your instinct, Merlin. _And this was the voice Merlin listened to. He waited and watched with bated breath as Aeldred crouched down by Arthur's side.

"I, Arthur Pendragon, am a Vampire," Aeldred hissed. Arthur stared up at him, unable to move. A pool of blood was now forming around Arthur's shoulder.

"I-in the woods…it was you…the deer…" Arthur managed only a few words, a few strained, rasping words. Merlin watched as Aeldred grinned slyly and leaned over Arthur. He pushed the heel of one of his hands against Arthur's collar bone, one hand on one of his arms, one knee on his other arm and his other knee pinning down his legs. Arthur struggled powerlessly but Aeldred's grip was solid. He leaned over Arthur, smiling at him maliciously.

"And now, Arthur, I will take my revenge." Aeldred leaned over Arthur's neck, parting his lips, his fangs approaching the skin, ready to bite. Then Merlin did something that he probably shouldn't have. He did something that he would probably regret for a long time to come. He did something completely stupid, idiotic, uncalled-for and totally reckless. Just as Arthur was taking his last breath, Merlin stepped out from behind the screen, grabbed the cold hilt of a dagger from a nearby table and held the underside of his left forearm out in front of him. Merlin took a deep breath and looked down at the pale skin stretched out in front of him. The blue-green veins in his wrist stood out against his pallid complexion. Not for much longer. Merlin had figured out what would distract Aeldred from Arthur. The _only _thing that would distract Aeldred from Arthur. Blood.


	13. The Final Moment

**Author's Note:** YES! This is my favourite chapter by far! Loved writing this and I hope you love reading it as much as I did writing it! Yaay! Can't believe I'm finally uploading it! OK, calm down! So, hope you like it. BIG action chapter! So be prepared! Please review! I would LOVE to hear the feedback from this chapter and see if anyone doesn't know what I was making all the fuss about and thought it was rubbish! Even a 'I've read it!' will be great! Pleeaaassee! Hope you like and please review!

Chapter Thirteen

Merlin gripped the dagger tighter and, before he had any time to change his mind, dug the knife into the skin. At first he couldn't feel the pain as the intensity of it numbed the place where the metal pierced the skin. But as he began to drag the blade across his arm, the faint prickling suddenly became agony. Even the scream that Merlin projected across the room couldn't express the amount of white-hot pain that was coursing through his nerves at that moment. His heart suddenly jumped into overtime, beating twice as much as normal, as if trying to get its last beats out before all of the blood was drained. The blood.

It trickled from his arm like wax from a candle, seeping from the flame, slowly but with a burning pain. Merlin felt the blood dripping from his fingers and dropping onto the floor with a frequent _drip, drip, drip, drip_. Droplets of crimson liquid plummeted downwards and collided with the wooden floor time after time, dripping in time with his heart. A rapid, ominous beat.

Slowly, Merlin looked up from the scarlet pool that was forming at his feet, swallowed down the pain that was streaking across his body and stared at Aeldred. He had frozen, hovering over Arthur's petrified body, his fangs just waiting to sink themselves into his skin. Arthur was staring helplessly up at him, his eyes locked with Aeldred's. Hesitantly, Aeldred turned his head to stare at Merlin, with eyes… so…so _hungry. _Merlin's breathing became more panicked but he tried hard not to show it, just concentrating at keeping the pain at bay. So far, he was failing miserably.

Aeldred just stared. His eyes gazed from Merlin's pain stricken face to the slash slicing up his arm to the growing pool of blood at his feet. Slowly, ever so slowly, he began to lift himself off Arthur's motionless figure and straightened up to glower at Merlin. Aeldred must have put some of his weight onto Arthur's still bleeding arm as he let out a chilling yell. Aeldred was unfazed however, his whole concentration fixed on Merlin's blood. Slowly, he glided across the floor, his gaze not moving. Merlin watched him, just waiting for the attack, hating all this anticipation. Merlin's head couldn't make sense of all this. _Move! Now! What are you doing? Get out of the way! He will __kill__ you! _Merlin didn't listen. He wouldn't listen. He couldn't listen.

Now Aeldred was facing him. Less than two metres away. Eyes penetrating him like knives.

"Ah, Merlin. So interfering. Can't resist sticking your nose into other people's business. Can't keep out of things that don't concern you. Seems a shame that such a bright boy should come to such an early grave. But people who get too far into things that they don't need to be in, they get caught," Aeldred snarled. Merlin stared at him, just willing him to get on with it, but at the same time, dreading the moment that would have to come.

Suddenly, he leapt forward. Pounced. And Merlin suddenly got a flashback. It was a scene that he hadn't seen before, but yet, it felt so familiar.

He was in the woods, running. He could hear something chasing after him. But Merlin already knew he wasn't going to outrun it, but he had to try. He had to try.

Faster. _Faster. _Merlin could hear his pursuer catching up with him already. Move _faster. _Merlin kept catching glimpses out of the corner of his eye of death running behind him, with a black hooded cloak billowing out behind him. He tried to move faster. His legs were at breaking point. Fate was catching up to him, his future evaporating behind him, he had to outrun it or it would swallow him up into nothingness. Suddenly, he felt something leap onto his back. He felt it latch onto his skin with what felt like knives. He desperately tried to buck it off, kicking his legs out helplessly. But this person was immovable. No matter how much he swerved and leapt around, death hung on like a snake, wrapping its coils around him and squeezing.

Suddenly, without even seeing where he was going, he tripped and went tumbling into the leaf litter. It seemed an age before he came to a stop. He suddenly felt the creature on top of him shift its weight so it was pinning him to the ground. Merlin kicked out his legs, trying feebly to get the beast away from him. But it didn't work.

Death leaned in close to him, so his eyes were on level with Merlin's own. Those terrible, hungry eyes. And then Merlin stopped kicking, stopped moving completely. Just stared. Aeldred.

And then he knew. He wasn't Merlin at all. He was the deer.

Then there was a sudden movement and everything went black.

Merlin suddenly felt as if something had hit him, hard. He blinked and glanced around. He was no longer staring helplessly at the surrounding trees of the forest. He was in Arthur's chambers. And he was suddenly aware of immense pain pulsing from his left forearm. Then Merlin remembered. But he couldn't stand round admiring his new surroundings, as something else had just claimed his attention. Aeldred had just leapt off the ground towards him, eyes wild with hunger. Merlin just readied himself for the impact that he knew would come. And it did.

Merlin was knocked to the floor as Aeldred pinned him down, one hand on his chest, one on his bleeding arm, his hooked claws cutting deeper into the wound. Merlin gritted his teeth as he felt the sharp talons move deeper into the skin. And then Aeldred was there. Staring into Merlin's eyes. Then there was a second where Merlin felt that Aeldred had entered his soul. He was searching it, seeping it of its life. But then it was all over in a split-second. Instead, Merlin watched helplessly as Aeldred smirked down at him and leaned into him.

"Such a waste," he whispered so that only he could hear it. But then Aeldred moved a little lower down and Merlin felt something ice cold slip into his neck. It was like two frozen needles were piercing his skin. And then he felt ice freezing his whole body, subzero coldness spreading from his neck. Then there was the pain.

It ran ahead of the iciness, shooting each nerve with a stab of white-hot agony before freezing it in ice. Merlin squeezed his eyes shut and let out a splitting scream. But he wasn't the only one.

Merlin dared to open his eyes, despite the immense agony that was still spilling through his body. Everything was blurry, like the world had gone underwater. The more he squinted the more the fuzzy shapes would change into more detailed objects and figures. He got quite a surprise when he saw Aeldred, whom he had expected to be still sucking the life out of him, sat bolt upright over Merlin, his mouth ajar and a trickle of blood sliding from his lip. His eyes were staring blankly ahead. There was something very wrong and Merlin would have probably realised faster if it weren't for the bitter pain slicing through him at that moment. Merlin noticed something sticking out of the front of Aeldred's chest, right over his heart. As Merlin looked closer, he saw that it was a wooden point of a stake. The person behind Aeldred jerked out the stake with a yelp and held it to his side. Without warning, Aeldred keeled over to the side and collapsed on the ground next to Merlin. Merlin took a shaking breath and glanced up to where his saviour was standing, the completely un-bloodied stake hanging limply from his hand. Arthur's face loomed out of the blurredness. His face looked like his last ounce of strength had been well and truly spent. He sank to his knees, the stake falling with a numb thud to the floor. Merlin suddenly noticed the deep gash across Arthur's arm was still heavily bleeding. He collapsed to the floor next to Merlin, his eyes strained with pain. Merlin yelled as another stab of icy pain went shooting through him. Arthur's eyes closed and his body went still. Merlin watched him helplessly, desperately wishing he could do something that would save him. But he could feel blackness starting to take over him also. Darkness began to cloud his vision. Merlin was fed up of fighting, the pain was too much. He let the darkness claim him. He walked into its arms, wanting to be free from the cold agony.

So the three lay there unconscious. A mixture of Merlin's and Arthur's blood pooled together around them in a wash of crimson.


	14. Recovery

**Author's Note:** Hey again guys! Your favourite Merlin fanatic here! So, hope you like this chapter! Just a bit of a recovery chapter for Merlin and to see what happened after he passed out! So, without further ado, here we go! Oh and please review!

Chapter Fourteen

Merlin's first experience at being conscious was pain. First from his forearm and then from his throat. He didn't want to open his eyes just yet. He would wait for the pain to subside.

After at least a minute of waiting, Merlin decided the pain wasn't going to subside any time soon. He opened his eyes just to be half-blinded by the bright light streaming in through a nearby window. He felt sheets layered beneath him upon a thin mattress. A strangely familiar thin mattress. He let the brightness fade away and his eyes adjust to the light before looking round at his surroundings. He was lying in a bed. A familiar bed. In a small room. A familiar room. There was someone sitting next to his bed, looking down at him. Merlin stared up at the figure and waited for the details to come into focus. As soon as they did, Merlin recognised the scruffy blond hair, the bright blue eyes and the kind face. He had a large bandage wrapped around his shoulder and despite there being many layers to it, the crimson blood still showed through the material. Arthur's face was covered with concern.

"How do you feel?" Arthur asked worriedly.

"Painful," Merlin answered truthfully, the cut down his arm throbbing pain across his skin under the bandage. "What happened?"

"Don't you remember? Aeldred? Being a Vampire? You cutting yourself? Him biting you?" Arthur tried bewilderedly.

As he said it, the memories came flooding back, all in one. Then something hit Merlin, with an unpleasant jab.

"Am I a Vampire?" Merlin dared to ask. Arthur pressed his lips together and looked sombrely down at Merlin. Merlin's eyes widened a little as he read Arthur's expression.

"You were very nearly. But Gaius got to you just in time," Arthur admitted, watching Merlin sigh thankfully and lean back further into the pillow.

"No fangs?" Merlin joked.

"Nope, not even one," Arthur replied, taking a mirror from Merlin's bedside table and passing it to him.

Merlin brought it up too his eyes and looked into it. Merlin almost dropped the mirror in shock as he set his eyes upon his face. He was as pale as, well… Aeldred. His skin was almost transparent.

"Wh-why am I so pale?" Merlin asked bemusedly.

"Gaius said it's just a side effect of the Vampire venom leaving your system," Arthur replied reassuringly. Merlin looked back and raised his chin, looking at his neck. There were two small holes in his neck where Aeldred has sunk his fangs into his skin. A frozen trickle of dry blood was still dripping down his neck. Merlin then tilted the mirror back up to look back into his own eyes. As he took a last fleeting look at himself, he noticed that his eyes, instead of being light sky blue, were a dark azure colour.

"Why are my eyes that colour?" Merlin asked as he handed the mirror back.

"Another side effect Gaius said," Arthur informed, looking back down at Merlin.

Merlin looked up to the ceiling and stretched his fingers out. As he did, he felt something covering him. He frowned and pulled it off, examining it.

"Is this your jacket?" Merlin asked, frowning down at it. He had washed it enough times to recognise it.

"Well, yeah… Gaius said I shouldn't make you warmer than you already were but you suddenly started going cold so I thought I'd better cover you up. I thought you…" Arthur trailed off sheepishly. Merlin smiled thankfully. It warmed his insides to think that Arthur had cared for him like that, even when he himself was seriously injured.

"Thanks Arthur," Merlin said quietly and smiled.

Arthur returned the smile rather embarrassedly. There was a moment where they exchanged looks. "So what exactly happened after we… passed out?" Merlin asked, swiftly changing the subject.

"Well, we were all passed out next to each other in a load of blood so you can imagine what Gaius thought when he came looking for you later in the night. He knew that you had been bitten due to the…" He indicated the two marks on Merlin's neck. "So he got a few guards to carry us both up here. It was a close shave getting you that antidote in time but, it's worked," explained Arthur.

"So I guess I have him to thank. Wait a minute, he's not the only one. You were the one who killed Aeldred. You saved my life," Merlin exclaimed.

"Well, I'm not doing it again. Next time I find some guy in a long black cloak sinking his fangs into your neck you can fend for yourself," Arthur joked. Merlin rolled his eyes and laughed. They both laughed for a moment, ignoring the pain that their wounds were sending them, just enjoying the moment.

As they stopped, Gaius came through Merlin's door and smiled down at them both.

"Gaius!" Merlin exclaimed as he leaned in to embrace Gaius warmly.

"I'm guessing you're feeling better then," Gaius chuckled as he let Merlin go and beamed down at them both.

"Thanks to you," Merlin grinned, his smile reaching from ear to ear.

"You're just lucky I found you in time. If I had left you even a minute longer… Well, let's just be thankful that you're back," Gaius said. "Right, Arthur, I think you should stay here and rest for another couple of hours but then you can return to your chambers. I'm sure you'll be able to find a replacement servant until tomorrow, I don't think it would be a good idea for Merlin to leave just yet," Gaius advised. Arthur sighed and got up from Merlin's bedside.

"So you're going to leave me to the mercy of George then are you Merlin?" Asked Arthur sarcastically.

"'Fraid so," Merlin confessed.

"Great, better get ready for 24 hour harassment," moaned Arthur, leaving the room with a sigh. Merlin laughed to himself. He had to admit, he felt sorry for Arthur, George was unbearably dutiful. He loped off out of Merlin's bedroom and Merlin heard him flop down onto the makeshift bed that Gaius kept clear for any unanticipated casualties. Merlin could feel his own eyelids beginning to droop as he thought about the prospect of sleep.

"You'd better get some rest too Merlin," Gaius advised. Merlin nodded wearily and let his head drop into the pillow limply. He saw through closing eyes Gaius starting to head off towards the door, but even before Gaius had left the room, Merlin was already asleep with exhaustion.

It wasn't fun waking up the next morning. The pain was definitely greater. His neck was burning and his arm was stinging. But just lying there wouldn't do them any good. Tiredly, he ran his fingers through his hair but stopped when he felt something hard. It felt as if something wet and sticky had been soaked in his hair and dried, glued to his hair. He rubbed the substance in between his fingers and squinted down at the sticky stuff that had been clinging to his hair. It left a scarlet streak across his fingers. Blood. Dry blood. Sighing, he slowly swung himself out from underneath Arthur's jacket that had remained on top of him throughout the night. He staggered wearily over to his bedroom door and pulled it open, peering into the room beyond.

"Oh, morning Merlin. How're you feeling?" Gaius greeted cheerfully.

"Much better thanks, neck and arm are still hurting but hey, at least I'm not draining someone's veins," Merlin shrugged.

"Well you'd better hurry along. I'm sure Arthur will be needing your assistance after a whole day of George yesterday. By the way, what's that in your hair?"

"Oh, um, blood," Merlin dismissed and shuffled back into his room. He grabbed a blue shirt from the end of his bed and began to change, hoping that Arthur wouldn't be in too much of a bad mood after George.

**Author's Note:** Hey, never done an author's note down here before! Oh wow! Isn't it beautiful! Especially with this lovely blue button to brighten up both the boring white page and someone's day! And for those of you who didn't get the MASSIVE hint there… I would really like a few reviews if that's not too much trouble? Hehe, yeah, I would really appreciate it! Even if it's just nagging me to add another chapter or even telling me how bad you think my writing is! Well anyway, thanks for reading!


	15. Back to Normal

**Author's Note:** Sorry, really short A/N cause I'm getting called off the laptop! Thanks for all the lovely reviews and please keep them up! Read + review!

Chapter Fifteen

"Rise and shine!" Trilled Merlin while he pulled open the curtains, ignoring the shooting pain that ran through his arm as he did so. But suddenly, he jumped away from the stream of sunlight that poured in through the glass. As soon as the light had hit his skin, his skin had gone all… tingly. Was that the right word for it? He supposed so. It was like someone waving a feather over his skin, not unpleasant but a strange sensation all the same. He heard the normal groan from Arthur and took it that he hadn't seen Merlin recoil from the light. He made his way round to the other side of Arthur's bed, taking care to sidestep the streaks of sunlight that striped across the wooden floor. At Arthur's reluctant grunt Merlin took it as his cue and threw the covers from off of him.

"Hey! What do you think you're… Merlin!" Arthur's irritated tone swiftly changed to a gleeful exclamation as he saw which grinning servant was beaming down at him. He still had a thick, bloodstained bandage wrapped tightly around his shoulder. That'd have to be changed, another chore added to Merlin's list.

"I'm afraid so," Merlin said sarcastically.

"How do you feel?" Asked Arthur inquiringly.

"Well, my arm is agony every time I move it and my neck is constantly giving me hell. What about you?"

"Yep, sounds about right. Took me at least an hour to get to sleep last night but I drifted off eventually."

"Good. Great," Merlin grinned, just glad to be seeing Arthur again. It was strange being so happy to see something as simple as a familiar face. He supposed being so close to death and truly believing that he was never going to see any of the people that he cared about so much ever again was enough to make him beam every time he caught sight of them now. "So do you think you'll be doing training with the Knights today?" Merlin asked as Arthur pulled himself out of bed and shuffled towards the dresser.

Arthur went quiet for a moment but then, after musing the query said, "I suppose I should really."

"Well, take it easy. I don't want you back in Gaius' chambers. Seeing you in the day is bad enough, never mind having to sleep in the room next door to you," Merlin joked, pretending to be disgusted. Arthur turned slowly and looked like he was going to tell Merlin off, but instead he gave in and just smiled and rolled his eyes. Merlin grinned back and went back to airing out the bedcovers. "Oh, and by the way, here's your jacket back." He leaned over and grabbed the jacket from where he had deposited it when he came into the room. He chucked it across the room to Arthur who caught it without looking round.

"Thanks."

Merlin sighed tiresomely and looked across the training field. Arthur had just struck Elyan to the ground blindfolded. They had been fighting for at least three minutes before Arthur finally gained the advantage over Elyan and overpowered him. Merlin shivered as he felt the, what would have been a warm breeze flow over him, but as he was sitting in the shadow of one of the huge battlements, it quickly turned to a chilly wind. The sunlight was too uncomfortable on his skin to sit in it for that long. His back was pressed up against the cool stone and his legs were stretched out in front of him across the uncut grass. He watched Arthur pull Elyan to his feet and smile, clapping him on the back. He yanked the blindfold away from his eyes and blinked in the bright sunlight. Merlin watched as his mouth moved but he was too far away to hear what he was saying. It seemed that he had asked for a match with Leon as he wielded his sword towards him. Leon leapt forward unexpectedly and lashed out his blade, Arthur dodging it skilfully. They both carried on, grinning their faces off.

Merlin yawned dreamily and closed his eyes for a moment. It had taken him a while to get to sleep last night. More that a while. Around two hours. Merlin dismissed it as just having slept so much in the day lately. Nothing more.

Merlin sat back against the cool stone and looked up into the pale sky. It was the softest slate blue, no clouds in sight. Although the sun blazed through, washing the training field in a golden glow. But this only made Merlin feel colder. Another shiver slithered down his body.

Merlin sighed again. He looked across the piles of unpolished armour, wondering whether he should make himself useful, grab a cloth and start scrubbing.

…Nah.


	16. Healing the Mind

**Completely Stupid Mistakes!:** Yes, I have noticed that I have been writing some pretty stupid mistakes that have made me look like a complete clotpole! My good friend 'Niyin' has been notifying me of the many idiotic typos and grammar faux pas and I have just noticed how many there are! So yeah, if you guys notice any more, it is completely my own cabbageheadish stupidity and please let me know how much of a dollophead I am!

**Author's Note:** Hello! For those Sherlock Holmes's out there, I think you're going to like this chapter! Just get a look at how the recovery is coming along for Merlin. Not much talking but hey, it's always nice to get a look into our favourite warlock's head now and again! Thanks again for all the lovely reviews and please keep 'em coming! Hope you like the chapter and feel free to review!

**Disclaimer:** Just noticed that just about every other Fic has been doing this and I have completely forgotten about it! So yeah, I should probably say something so some policeman doesn't come knocking at my door with a big copyright document. Not that that's very likely…

But anyway, I do not own any characters of the BBC's TV programme Merlin (wish I did!) but any added characters and plotlines were completely my genius!

Chapter Sixteen

The next few days came and went. Three days. Just the same as normal; wake up, chores, go to bed. Nothing special. Although, the sun thing had gotten worse. He didn't want to bother Gaius about it yet though. It seemed that Arthur had had a little too much fun on the training field while putting Leon through his paces. So now the bandage around Arthur's shoulder was even thicker than usual.

It wasn't like the sun rays were tickling him anymore. More like…prickling. Like nettles brushing against your skin. A faint stinging but no real pain. But it was still sore.

It had been getting harder to get to sleep as well. It had started with just a few late nights, then finding it difficult to stop his mind spinning, then finding it impossible to doze off. But again, Merlin didn't bother anyone with the matter.

The last thing that hadn't been completely normal was that he hadn't eaten a single thing since Aeldred's attack. He had been sidestepping the matter by taking his meals to his room only to deposit them in the nearest pigsty he saw on his way through the market later on that day and skipping meals completely during the day. He knew he shouldn't but, right now, he didn't want to force things into his body that didn't want to be there in the first place. But on this one he didn't know how long he'd be able to hide the fact from Gaius. He was so skinny already, he didn't know how long it would take to become even more thin. He didn't think he could afford to lose much more weight.

But anyway, he had been in a strangely disregardful mood lately and saw no point in troubling anyone in such minor matters. Aeldred's attack had shaken the people of Camelot and people were still recovering from the shock. Merlin would just keep himself to himself and get on with his duties. That's the way it worked in Camelot.

Five days. Merlin was determined to ignore the minor changes that were slowly developing on a day-to-day basis. He simply disregarded the fact that he was losing lots of sleep. He merely forgot the fact that he had been dodging round any rays of sun that stood in front of him or dashing through the glow whenever he was forced to be exposed. He easily overlooked the fact that he still hadn't eaten a single thing for just over a week now.

Snubbing out the truth. Smothering it in false self-assurance.

But Merlin didn't like to think of it that way. More, focusing on the more important things. Yeah, that's right.

Well, the fact that he hadn't eaten a single thing for over a week was a little untrue. Gaius had found out that he had been skipping meals, and he wasn't too impressed. Gaius had immediately forced him to eat a slice of bread. When Merlin refused, he ripped off a smaller piece. When Merlin refused again, he practically crammed it down Merlin's throat. Well, that was stretching it a bit. But there had been some force-feeding involved. But as soon as Merlin had swallowed it, he had felt it coming right back up again. He had had to run through to his room to be sick into a handy bucket that sat in the corner of the room. When he had come back through to see a rather frustrated looking Gaius, he had fought the urge to say 'I told you so'. Firstly, because he had been told so many times by Arthur to resist the desire to point the fact out. Secondly, because he had suspected that if he opened his mouth to speak again too soon, he would have projectile vomited as soon as his lips had parted.

After a full examination, Gaius had found nothing wrong with him. He had just blamed the fact that Merlin's body was still getting back to normal after having the venom in his system. But that was just an excuse.

A week didn't feel like a week when time was moving so slowly. It felt more like two, three weeks, a month even. But Merlin didn't mind. Time could move as slowly as it wanted to. It didn't effect him. He wasn't paying much attention to the world around him at the moment. He simply got on with his life. No interaction with other people, no friendly chats, no jokes, no laughter. Just… life.

Sleep had become a thing of the past. Now bedtime was just lying on his back and staring up to the ceiling or gazing out of the window in the moonlight, which had started to become one of his closest allies being the only natural light that didn't burn his skin. At best he would get a couple of nights where he would fall asleep for no more than about an hour and then he would wake up once more.

Even the thought of eating was long gone. He was even thinner than he had been already and it was only a matter of time before even his bones started showing beneath his skin. Gaius had watched concernedly for the past week as Merlin continued to get skinnier and skinnier and gradually close himself off from the rest of the world. But he knew getting involved wouldn't do any good.

He was milk white now also. He had the complexion of snow. The amount of time he had spent hiding from the sun had taken its toll on him. He had already been pale but now, he was transparent.

Arthur had seemed to start to notice Merlin's changes as he would throw the odd 'Are you OK Merlin?' or 'You look different Merlin, is everything alright?' into the nonexistent conversation. But he had never really properly asked Merlin what was going on. But that was the way Merlin liked it. He just wanted to get on with his life, and not be a part of anyone else's.

**Author's Note:** Ooh, what a lovely blue button that is down there vvv ! So very clickable!


	17. The Truth

**Author's Note:** I was going to make this chapter really short but then I thought, 'Nah, you guys are just too amazing, you deserve the whole thing!' So, big chapter! Epic chapter in fact! MASSIVE cliffy! Sorry! Feel free to review and rant about how much you hate me! So I'm gonna shut up and let you read. This chapter is pretty much self-explanatory! Hope you enjoy and please read + review!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any characters of the BBC's TV programme Merlin (wish I did!) but any added characters and plotlines were completely my genius! All mistakes are also my own (and there are a lot of them!) (I dunno why I'm making a disclaimer, no one could be such a clotpole to put such stupid mistakes in!)

Chapter Seventeen

"Look Merlin, I can't ignore it any longer. There's something wrong," Arthur sighed and sat forward on his bed, looking inquiringly at Merlin, analysing his every move. Merlin stayed quiet making no attempt to answer. "Merlin? What's happened? I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm actually starting to miss your mindless drabble." Arthur admitted, masking his concern with a hollow attempt at a joke.

"Maybe I thought I'd give you a break from my 'mindless drabble'," Merlin said inanely, not even bothering to look at Arthur. He had carefully positioned himself in the corner of the room, his back to Arthur and well away from the reach of the sunlight that cascaded into the room from the window. He was pretending to polish various pieces of Arthur's armour to keep him busy, but really he was just absently dragging the cloth back and forth over the metal without putting any real effort into it. Arthur went quiet for a moment but there was no way he was going to give up now.

"I'm not stupid, Merlin," Arthur's tone was now completely serious. "I have noticed that your acting strangely.""I don't know what you mean," Merlin dismissed, staring fixedly at the wall in front of him.

"Avoiding the sun? Losing weight? Growing paler? Completely mute for most of the day? I've noticed it all Merlin. I just thought I should ignore it. Just overlook it for a while. I just thought you were recovering from what you've been through. But it's gone on for too long."

Silence sliced its way through the conversation. Merlin's hand froze. He dared not move.

Arthur had noticed.

He didn't want to turn. He didn't want to look at him, but something made him. He slowly glanced over his shoulder. Arthur wasn't looking at him. He quickly faced back to the wall and slowly began to stroke the cloth back and forth again.

"Merlin…"

"And why would you care? Why would you be bothered about what I do? You treat me like dirt. You think that all of your insults just bounce off. That none of them actually sink in. I'm not impenetrable. _Nah, Merlin can take it, he's just a servant after all. _Why care now Arthur? You never have before," Merlin spat.

Arthur stared, completely bemused by his words.

"Wha-what?" Arthur frowned. "I never meant to…"

"Oh no, of course you didn't. Arthur always has to be right. That's how it works, isn't it? And if anything goes wrong, blame it on Merlin. It's not like he has feelings or anything."

Arthur's mouth hung ajar in shock at Merlin. All the hate and malevolence and spite and infuriation was bubbling up inside him now. A seething mass of anger was growing and roaring, screaming to be let out. And Merlin cut through the chains. "You might as well be dead, Arthur. At least then you won't be a burden to the people of Camelot. In fact, I'd happily do it myself," Merlin threatened.

He advanced on Arthur, taking a couple of steps forward. He reached out and grabbed a sword from a nearby table and wielded it in front of him. He may not be the greatest swordsman ever, but he could run a man through if he wanted. Arthur's eyes widened and he scrambled back over the covers.

"N-no. You… you don't want to do this Merlin. You never _hated _me did you? I…I thought we were…we were…"

"Friends?" Merlin finished the sentence for him spitefully. "No, we were never friends Arthur."

Merlin moved round the bed to direct the blade straight at Arthur. Arthur's eyes followed the point fearfully.

"Merlin, please…" Arthur tried one last time. But Merlin was deaf to his pleas. He could get down on his knees and beg but Merlin would still hate him. The beast inside him was free now, taking him over, and hungry for blood. But before Merlin could make any move with the sword, Arthur lunged forward and grabbed the hilt. He wrenched it out of Merlin's grip and threw it away across the floor. It slid until it was a few metres away, well out of the reach of both of them. Merlin's eyes slipped from the sword to Arthur, the creature roaring in rage.

"You shouldn't have done that…" Merlin snarled with a quiet, sinister tone that made Arthur move a little further up the bed. As Merlin said it, his lips curved into a sly smirk. And as he did, he felt something on his bottom lip. Two long, needle-like teeth. Fangs.

**Author's Note:** Ooh, what a lovely blue button that is down there vvv ! So very clickable! Even more clickable than the last chapter!


	18. The Creature Inside

**Promise!:** So far I have replied to every single review I have received! (Well, the ones I _can _reply to) And I have pledged that I will keep this up! So expect a reply if you review!

**Author's Note:** Really get to see the Vampire part of Merlin taking him over in this chapter! Scary stuff! Well, this chapter's pretty self-explanatory so I'm gonna shut up and let you read! Hope you like! Read + review please! You guys are fabulous - you know that? x

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any characters of the BBC's TV programme Merlin (wish I did!) but any added characters and plotlines were completely my genius! All mistakes are also my own (and there are a lot of them!)

Chapter Eighteen

Arthur's eyes widened as he stared at them. Merlin's smirk grew. He suddenly jumped forward for Arthur. Arthur stumbled back, his eyes still wide and staring at Merlin.

"Please Merlin, if you're in there somewhere. It's not you, it's the Vampire. You've… you've been taken over. This isn't you. You don't want to do this. The Vampire's making you. Please Merlin, fight it," Arthur begged breathlessly.

But Arthur might as well have been speaking another language. All Merlin was thinking of now was two words. Kill Arthur. Spiralling round in his head, hitting him so hard that he had to obey. He took another lunge and this time he was too quick. Arthur was taken by surprise as his words failed to sink in and he was pinned to the floor by Merlin. Merlin wasn't heavy, in fact Arthur probably would have been able to pick him up with one hand and throw him across the room if it weren't for the sheer terror making him shake so violently that Merlin had to press down hard on him just to keep him steady. Merlin forced Arthur down with his knee to his chest and one hand wrenching his hair back so his head would be forced back also, exposing his neck. Arthur was watching his with terrified eyes. Merlin's eyes locked on to his and stayed there. Merlin had never seen him so scared. For a second, the tiniest second, like someone had flashed some sense into him, he realised what he was doing. He was about to kill his master. The master that had been more than a master. A friend.

But then it was over and the other Merlin was back. Kill Arthur. _Kill Arthur. _

"No. Please. _Please…_" Arthur's voice was so quiet and desperate. Not shaking anymore, just… despairing and hopeless. His body wasn't shaking either. Still. Deathly still. Like he was already dead. Apart from his chest. His chest was rising high and falling heavily, his breath strained and laboured, like every time he inhaled it was like someone dragging barbed wire through his throat. But Merlin didn't care. Kill Arthur.

Merlin snapped his gaze away from Arthur's eyes and instead focused on his neck. Merlin bared his teeth and leaned over, pulling Arthur's hair harder so his neck would become more exposed. He wanted to enjoy this. He opened his mouth, moving his fangs closer to the skin. Merlin felt Arthur tense a little beneath him, as if he was reaching for something. But Merlin hardly noticed, he was too fixed on Arthur's throat. His fangs were touching the skin now. Arthur jerked a little as the cold, needle-like fangs brushed across his neck. Merlin leaned in closer. This bite would have to be deep in order to get to the main bloodstream, living with Gaius had taught him that much. Just a little further… But then Arthur jolted beneath him. Was he finally making a bid to escape after all this time? Or was he just completely terrified? But then his question was answered when, just as he was about to close his fangs around his throat and sink his teeth into the skin, Arthur jerked out from underneath him and Merlin hit the floor. He instantly rolled over to see that Arthur had grabbed the sword that had been lying a couple of feet away from where they were. Arthur stepped forward and pressed the sword against Merlin's throat. Merlin's eyes slid from the blade to Arthur's eyes. They looked stronger than they were before but they still couldn't quite hide the fact that Arthur probably wasn't feeling as confident as he was trying to convey. Arthur glared back at him, trying to intimidate him. Granted, Merlin wasn't exactly in the perfect place to fight back at the moment but he was certainly not feeling intimidated.

"Go on then. Do it," Merlin hissed. Arthur looked harder at him but made no move. "Kill me." Arthur's hand was beginning to shake, only the tiniest bit but Merlin's eyes were sharp enough to notice. "Do it." Arthur stepped forward and pressed the sword even harder against Merlin throat, forcing him back a little but a smirk was beginning to crawl across his face. Arthur looked like he was having an inward battle. "Kill me," breathed Merlin. Arthur was glowering at him, his eyes more scared now. Suddenly, Merlin saw his chance and he moved fast. His hand darted up and the blade away just long enough to leap up off the floor and face Arthur. Arthur was too stunned to do anything, he simply stood and stared, the sword looking useless in his hands. "I knew you couldn't do it," Merlin smirked triumphantly. Anger flashed across Arthur's eyes and he suddenly moved forward, swinging the sword round towards Merlin. Merlin quickly ducked under it just in time but Arthur came back with a follow up slash and Merlin wasn't quite quick enough. A sudden stab of pain went shooting through Merlin's arm as Arthur withdrew the sword. He yelled in pain, looked from the gash and then malevolently up to Arthur.

"You're going to regret that." Merlin uttered hatefully. Arthur's eyes widened as Merlin came at him again.

**Author's Note:** Phwoah! That little blue button down there is sure looking mighty-fine! You know if you just slide your mouse over it and give it a little click it'll make someone very happy! ;P


	19. The Boundaries of Friendship

**Author's Note:** Hii guys! OK, I am now proofreading my chapters as 'Niyin' has showed me just how full of mistakes my stories are! So if there are any errors that have slipped through my net, please feel free to review and shout at me for being such a cabbagehead!

We see a bit of Arthur's feelings here, without a POV. We see just how willing he is to stretch his friendship with Merlin… if that makes sense. So yeah, I would really appreciate it if you guys reviewed because we are getting towards the end of the story and I'm gonna miss all you lovely people messaging me L So hope you enjoy and please read + review! x

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any characters of the BBC's TV programme Merlin (wish I did!) but any added characters and plotlines were completely my genius! All mistakes are also my own (but hopefully there will be less of them this chapter!)

Chapter Nineteen

"No, please Merlin, don't make me do this," Arthur implored. He started backing towards the closet making Merlin stop in his attack to see what he was doing. Arthur reached out and turned the lock in one of the smallest draws that were only big enough to hold a loaf of bread. He pulled it open and withdrew a small syringe with a menacingly long needle sticking out of it that had to be around two inches long. A light blue liquid swirled around inside it. Merlin stared at it and then back to Arthur. He was planning to tranquilise him. _Tranquilise _him. Or worse… God knows what was in that thing.

Merlin stared with alarmed eyes at Arthur. Arthur was looking reluctant but willing. _No, _Merlin mouthed. Arthur dropped the sword with a clatter and began to move forward towards Merlin. Merlin backed away, shaking his head and staring into Arthur's eyes. Arthur took a quick step towards him and reached out to grab him. Merlin snarled, baring his fangs and darted away from his outstretched hand. Arthur made another attempt to grasp Merlin. Merlin snapped at his fingers and made a hissing noise at him. Arthur was beginning to scared now, and Merlin knew that was when he began to let his guard down. He suddenly pounced on Arthur, gripping onto him and trying to get his fangs into his throat. Arthur struggled against him and shoved him to the floor. Merlin went to struggle back up but Arthur knelt down and pressed his knee into his chest just as Merlin had. Arthur brought the syringe up close to Merlin. He stared at it, wide-eyed.

"No, please Arthur. Don't do this to me. I'm sorry. Don't do it. Please Arthur. _Please,_" Merlin's voice had gone so small. It was desperately pleading. Arthur's gaze locked with Merlin's. He seemed to be thinking about something, reluctance written all over his face. Another inward battle. Arthur bit his lip and stabbed the needle into Merlin's arm. He yelled in pain as he felt the ice cold blue liquid seep into him. As soon as it did, he already felt drowsy. This was one strong tranquiliser. The world around him was beginning to go blurry, like everything was underwater. It was like it he was looking up at Arthur through a glass of water, his features rippling and swirling. Merlin could feel his eyelids drooping and his body beginning to go numb. The last thing Merlin saw before the tranquiliser claimed him was a single tear trickle down Arthur's cheek.

**Author's Note:** Phwoah! That little blue button down there is sure looking mighty-fine! You know if you just slide your mouse over it and give it a little click it'll make someone very happy! ;P …Again :D


	20. What just happened?

**Author's Note:** Sorry, only a short chapter this time but as I said, we're reaching the end now. Get a bit of de-vamped POV from Merlin about what has happened here so hope you enjoy.

But there is one thing I'm not so happy about this chapter. You probably won't get what I'm on about until the next chap but I will just say that Gaius makes a pretty OOC move here which I don't think I wrote very well.

But anyway, hope you enjoy and please read + review for the last few chapters! x

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any characters of the BBC's TV programme Merlin (wish I did!) but any added characters and plotlines were completely my genius! All mistakes are also my own.

Chapter Twenty

The blanket wrapped around him smelled like warmth. Was that possible, to smell of warmth? Merlin certainly hadn't thought that you would be able to smell a temperature. Yet, it had a homely and welcoming aroma about it. He wanted to snuggle into its folds and fall into its embrace, but he could hear breathing nearby. Deep, shaky breathing. Merlin attempted to open his eyes. They suddenly felt like they weighed a ton each. His head felt equally as heavy; he was surprised that his head hadn't sank through the pillow he was lying on and straight through the floor below. Surprisingly, he could remember all of last night's events, although he wished he couldn't. He remembered everything, especially the wild emotions cascading through his head. The blind anger, the overwhelming hatred, the irrational fury… the overpowering need to kill Arthur. That was the worst one of them all. He had wanted to kill Arthur. _Kill _Arthur. And then he had been a Vampire. Merlin felt stupid; how had he not seen what he was becoming? The evasion of sunlight, the not eating, the lack of sleep, the closing himself off from the rest of the world. It was so obvious now. But yet, here he was and he felt no urge to jump up and bite whoever was closest to him in the neck. Come to think of it, who was this person?

Merlin tried to open his eyes again and this time his lids weren't so resistant. Gaius was sat staring at some spot on Merlin's bedcovers, gazing into space. He hadn't noticed Merlin had woken up. He looked… old. He was beginning to get dark circles around his eyes, like he hadn't slept for days. Maybe he hadn't. Had he really been tranquilised for that long? The tranquiliser had been that strong, he may have.

"Gaius?" His voice sounded cracked and dry. Merlin swallowed to try and get some moisture into his mouth. Gaius' head snapped up from the place where he had been contemplating the sheets and stared at Merlin.

"Merlin!" Gaius suddenly jumped up and grabbed something off the bedside table. Gaius was off the chair way too quick and was stood at the end of the bed holding something out in front of him wordlessly. Merlin leaned in a little closer to see what it was but just as he focused his eyes enough to see what it was, someone stormed into the room. Was that Arthur? It was. He was holding something up as well. What the hell was going on… Arthur was staring wide-eyed and alarmingly at him, like he was a snake he had just found in his room. Defensively but also completely and utterly terrified. And now Merlin had a chance to see what the thing was they were both holding.

**Author's Note:** Phwoah! That little blue button down there just doesn't stop looking beautiful does it? I hope everyone appreciates it and maybe even gives it a bit of a click ;D


	21. Trust

**Author's Note:** Bit of an emotional chapter this one *sniff*. We really see the friendship between Arthur and Merlin grow. Ahh, so beautiful *wipes eyes with hanky*.

But yeah, hope you enjoy and pllleeeaaaasssseeee review! The next chapter's the last one so please, make me happy! x

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any characters of the BBC's TV programme Merlin (wish I did!) but any added characters and plotlines were completely my genius! All mistakes are also my own.

Chapter Twenty One

"Back off. They're made of silver and wood from a stake and washed in holy water, so don't try anything," Arthur warned, stepping in front of Gaius and a little closer to Merlin. Merlin stared incredulously from him to the crucifix he was holding.

"What? I'm not a Vampire anymore. What are you doing? I'm not going to hurt you," Merlin protested. Gaius lowered the crucifix immediately and lay it down on the end of Merlin's bed, looking satisfied that he was telling the truth. Arthur obviously didn't share his opinion. Arthur waited a second, lowered the cross a fraction but still held it protectively in front of him. He still had a defensive look in his eye, like he was still willing to do what he had to, to protect both him and Gaius.

"Prove it," Arthur said. At Merlin's blank expression he expanded, "Open your mouth." This didn't help explain much.

"Why?"

"To prove you haven't still got fangs." There was a trace of fear in his voice. Merlin was still looking a little confused but he opened his mouth anyway. Arthur leaned over a little to have a look along his teeth but, finding nothing abnormal, stood back and stared at him. Merlin closed his mouth slowly and looked back at Arthur, wondering why he was still standing there. Suddenly, Arthur dropped the crucifix which landed with a thud on the floorboards and collapsed onto the end of Merlin's bed. He sat with his arms propped up on his knees and his palms covered his face. His body began to shake. Merlin frowned up at Gaius. He was staring solemnly at Arthur, not looking at all surprised, as if this had been happening a lot lately. Merlin sat forward, ignoring the painful protest from his arm.

"Arthur?" Merlin asked softly. Arthur shifted his hand a little and Merlin saw that his face was damp. Was he… crying? Surely not. Arthur didn't break down and cry just like that. But he must have been as barely audible sobs were now coming from Arthur's trembling body. Merlin didn't know quite what to do. Should he leave him? Or should he try to comfort him? Merlin decided on the latter. He slid a sheepish arm around Arthur's quivering shoulders and leaned in a little closer to him. "Arthur, what's wrong? What's happened?" Merlin tried.

"I…I'm so s-sorry. I-I didn't… I couldn't…" Arthur's voice was barely perceptible as he mumbled between sobs.

"What?"

"I…I _tranquilised _you. How…how could I?" Arthur sniffed.

"What? What do you mean? _You're _sorry? I think I'm the one who should be sorry Arthur. I mean, I did try to sink two inch-long fangs into your neck," Merlin pointed out. Was that what this was all about? Just because he tried to defend himself?

"Merlin, I tried to stab you. I cut your arm…"

"But I was trying to _kill _you Arthur. I don't blame you for what you did. I mean, of course you'd need to defend yourself. Arthur, I completely agree with what you did."

"You… you don't think…?" "No." Merlin didn't know exactly what he was about to say but he denied it anyway. This seemed to be the right answer though because Arthur lowered his hands from his face and looked up at Merlin.

"Don't ever do that to me again," Arthur said quietly. A weak but sure smile began to grow across his face. Merlin returned it.

"Agreed."

**Author's Note:** I'm gonna miss that that little blue guy down there… Tell you what, why don't we make it feel extra special before this Fic comes to an end and give a good, hard click, eh? :P


	22. The End

**Author's Note:** Yep, I know, I haven't updated in like, years! But I was just waiting for the right moment to post this last chapter for y'all.

Yes, it's true. This is the last chapter of this Fic :'( We've been through a lot together and now it all comes to an end. A very short end at that! But yeah, just clears up a few things and lets me right some notey drabble to all you completely AMAZING people! So, hope you enjoy and thanks for sticking with me all this way! And maybe some lovely reviews to just put the cherry on the cake and make my Fanfictioning mission complete! x

**Sly Advertisement for my other Fic ;P :** Yes, I have sunk that low ;) I am promoting my other Fic in this one's dying chapter *Slaps on wrist* Bad me! But I'm gonna do it anyway!

It's called **'The Thief of Camelot'**and it's been getting pretty good reviews so I think you guys might like it… Maybe? But take a look anyways, it's quite far along as it's on it's 30th chapter but I think it's sometimes better to read late as you don't have to wait for lazy authors to update every two years!

So yeah, pleeaaassseee take a look and I promise you won't regret it… probably… :D x

**Thank you EVERYBODY!:** Thanks to all the UNBELIEVABLE people who endured through my mindless drabble in this Fic! And another HUGE thanks to all those fabulous peeps who reviewed and supported me throughout! You are all ANGELS! Big sloppy Merlin kiss to you all! x

Chapter Twenty Two

Merlin later found out that Gaius was only able to save Merlin as when Aeldred bit him, not all of his venom was injected into his bloodstream. Arthur had killed him before Aeldred got a chance to inject all his venom. That also explained why it had taken so long for Merlin to start showing signs of becoming a Vampire.

So everything was back to normal. The Kingdom of Rheged had got a new King, probably another Vampire but Merlin didn't mind as much as long as they kept themselves to themselves and didn't come to Camelot ever again.

But now life was good. No more Vampires. Now more Aeldred. No more Vampire Merlin.

The End


End file.
